The new dressage 20% weight rule, and other competitions
- Thread starter newforest
- Start date
That's terrifying! As you say they should either find another sport or dial it down to a suitable level and, in my opinion have a lot more lessons.
Not sure why kids would need to be wearing those. Over in the UK they don't in short jodphur boots.
@SpooksHavinFun you mean peopl Velcro their children to their horses? Oh my God, what happens if there is a rotational fall?
I wonder if, and this is just me musing….. if a horse is struggling to carry a rider, as in clearly struggling, would this rule be pulled out to eliminate the rider? There’s no required weighing in, which means no structure in place to screen riders. So, I wonder if this is a “in case we need it” rule for the good of the horse.
Whatever their reasoning.
I think they should be saying to a rider, you are too tall for your mount, not you are overweight for your mount.
The implications are huge, nobody likes to be told their horse is overweight, let alone be told that they are too heavy.
I have seen a large rider at a show who was way too big for the pony and the show stewards didn't have the confidence to say anything!
I think they should be saying to a rider, you are too tall for your mount, not you are overweight for your mount.
The implications are huge, nobody likes to be told their horse is overweight, let alone be told that they are too heavy.
I have seen a large rider at a show who was way too big for the pony and the show stewards didn't have the confidence to say anything!
@newforest but rider height isn't the issue so saying to someone they're too tall is wrong. Would you have had them tell Mark Todd he was too tall on Charisma? Or William Fox-Pitt on some of his horses? Or probably a lot of polo players? No, if weight is believed to be a genuine issue then that is what should be said - both the eventers I named are probably lighter than I am so if it was a show and I was asked to leave a class because of my "height" then how could they stay if on similar horses (and yes I know there isn't a snowball's chance in Hell of me competing against them 
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If you read the changes they are going to be telling people they are too tall and they have asked people to dismount because of that.@newforest but rider height isn't the issue so saying to someone they're too tall is wrong. Would you have had them tell Mark Todd he was too tall on Charisma? Or William Fox-Pitt on some of his horses? Or probably a lot of polo players? No, if weight is believed to be a genuine issue then that is what should be said - both the eventers I named are probably lighter than I am so if it was a show and I was asked to leave a class because of my "height" then how could they stay if on similar horses (and yes I know there isn't a snowball's chance in Hell of me competing against them
This is where the "in balance" with the horse will be abused. Those too tall or heavy will be removed long before those too short or too light. If it's an issue of horse welfare and the horse is obviously struggling then it's justified and rider needs educated. But that doesn't solve the issue if the horse is owned or leased by the rider or even owned by a schooling barn that allows for that rider/horse combination.
@SpooksHavinFun you sound in your posts as though you have a Western background, what's crazy is that in the UK many Western riders would fall into the "too tall" category in many peoples eyes yet their horses are perfectly capable of carrying them. It really is mad.
My background is quite varied. ATM looking at an entirely new and different direction. Coming from Texas I am familiar with western eventhough I've only ever ridden western on trails at different points in time.
Agreed it's ridiculous.
There are two horse shows that have brought in the height and weight limit.
I think from the height point of view it was to stop the adults schooling the first ridden before the child gets on.
@newforest but to stop adults schooling ponies at shows before the kids get on all they have to do is make a rule saying only the rider competing may ride on the showground. That's the rule BD have - I assume it's still in place - though I think there may be an exemption for high grade para riders and basic exercising by grooms at shows over multiple days. No need at all to bring height or weight into it, just a flat rule that involves no judgement calls by anyone.
At this rate I won’t be entering any competitions in future as if anyone came up to me and said I was too heavy for Faran I’d probably knock their teeth in and I’m being genuinely serious, without weighing horses and people how can you say to someone you are over the 20% rule? Also means you can’t discriminate, everyone entering the competition will have to be weighed and that’s when the competitions will die off.
I was told I was too heavy for Kia when I was a size 10/12 in clothes and about 10.5st but the thing is I didn’t look 10.5st. I have big breasts and a shapely bum and muscly legs and when you add a show jacket that’s not pasted to you with a corset underneath apparently the picture wasn’t nice.
I was told I was too fat when I was running Faran up inhand even though I was running 5km three four times a week and going to the gym. Again it was all about the picture. Yes I was heavier probably around the 11st mark (I’m about 11.5st just now) however I wasn’t riding him but I was also told recently that overweight people shouldn’t even run horses up inhand as the picture is all wrong.
So hell mend the person that approaches me.
I was told I was too heavy for Kia when I was a size 10/12 in clothes and about 10.5st but the thing is I didn’t look 10.5st. I have big breasts and a shapely bum and muscly legs and when you add a show jacket that’s not pasted to you with a corset underneath apparently the picture wasn’t nice.
I was told I was too fat when I was running Faran up inhand even though I was running 5km three four times a week and going to the gym. Again it was all about the picture. Yes I was heavier probably around the 11st mark (I’m about 11.5st just now) however I wasn’t riding him but I was also told recently that overweight people shouldn’t even run horses up inhand as the picture is all wrong.
So hell mend the person that approaches me.
They could simply have that rule.
I recall the no lunging and no galloping.
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