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HOW MUCH WEIGHT CAN A HORSE CARRY?

More than you think! But there is no quick answer. A bit like asking: how much weight can a human being carry? All we can do is use variables, along with that rarest of all qualities -- common sense! Here are the facts. Riding for pleasure, as we know it today, is less than 60 years old! Yet men have been riding horses for at least 2,000 years, almost exclusively as a way to get someplace so they could kill each other. The load of the horse increased, as his use increased -- and weapons of war got heavier. Major G. Tylden, writing in HORSES AND SADDLERY, notes that Royal Cavalry in 1775 required horses to carry some 316 lbs. Into battle, no less!. And the load never lightened. Shetland ponies used by the British in trench warfare in World War I weighed 600 lbs, yet carried 400 lbs!! Through modern times, as a rule of thumb, a horse in working condition, should be able to carry one third of its own weight. Providing!!! The saddle fits. The rider can ride. The horse has no back or leg problems. The grade is not too steep, the sun not too hot, etc., etc...People who weigh 250 lbs frequently ask if we can take 10 lbs out of the saddle! Of course we can -- but there is an easier place to get rid of 10 lbs!! If you weigh 260 and your saddle weighs 60, you might like to consider a mule, or a massive donkey!! Their ability to haul is legendary. Anatomically, and from an engineering standpoint, the horse is built more to pull than to carry. But by being reasonable, we can work around that.

Simple training aids don't mean abuse

Training aids are simply things that make it easier for you to get the horse to behave in a way that makes YOU comfortable. A horse will naturally behave in a way that makes HIM comfortable, and sometimes you have to let them discover that he can do new things and still be comfortable. Like children, letting the horse discover something for himself is always better than trying to force him to do it your way.

The words "training aid" doesn't mean a club!! Excessive force gets a hot horse mad and defensive, and a naturally timid horse cowered. Luckily, force takes a LOT of energy and usually isn't productive. There is much LESS abusive behavior, beating, and physical violence done to horses these days than what is imagined or talked about. I am around about every kind of horse person, from "traders" to "trainers", a lot of owners and horses from about every walk of life. Today horses are expensive to buy, expensive to keep, and not a necessity of life, and physical abuse is probably less common in horses than in humans!

When I was young, in the 1950's, I remember going to visit farms and ranches where the owner trained with at "2 X 4" (I remember even as a child the thought of being agile enough to keep up with a horse while swinging a big board just didn't seem productive or easy!) But you have to remember that those men were all in their 40's and 50's. They would have been born in the first decade or two of the twentieth century and they grew up in a very different era. First, horses were much more a part of rural life and if you didn't like them, you still had to work with them. Second, it was a time when people approached problems in a simple, forceful way. Today's violent, bad tempered, or abusive person is much more likely to be sitting on the couch watching the fights on TV, or yelling at the dog than getting up and fighting something that outweighs him 5-1. He will more likely be forced to interact with a car, motorcycle, or tractor to get a job done than with a horse! If nothing else, it's just too much work!! There are too many OTHER things to do than fight with a horse if you aren't fond of them. Face it, horses are easy to AVOID these days and a bully is much more likely to attack what is in front of him, and easy to dominate than to go LOOKING for something that can put up a fight.

Today's horse owner is more likely to be around horses because they WANT to than because they HAVE to and they approach horses in a different way. Unfortunately, sometimes that can lead to problems on the other side. But we'll talk about that at a later time. Right now, we are discussing training aids.

If you have a horse that needs some work, you need to start off being smarter than the horse. I used to have an old trainer who always said, "Never start a fight you can't win." Mac also pointed out that no one, not even the biggest, strongest man, could win in a contest of brute strength with a horse. He advocated that letting the horse get into a situation where he had to fight himself and learn the best way to do something. Training aids allow you to do that.

Round Pen as a training aid

One of the most important training aids is a round pen. I've know trainers who didn't have a ring, but I've never known a good one that didn't have a round pen. Basically a round pen doesn't even have to be round. It's a way to contain a horse and confine his ability to run, spook or get too far away from you. You can make one out of regular fencing, metal fence panels or gates, chain link panels, plywood or anything else that is sturdy. You do NOT want to make it out of hot wire, woven wire, high tinsel wire, or the plastic fencing. Plastic fencing will shatter if the horse hits it wrong, hot wire will distract the horse from the task at hand, and the wire fencing isn't solid enough. You want something that the horse can run into without hurting himself. A round pen should be at least 50 FT in diameter, larger if you have horses that are 16+ hands or very big bodies. It should not be larger than 80 ft even for large horses and 60 ft in diameter is probably the most popular. And, it should have good, solid footing.

ALL basic training, from breaking youngsters to teaching horses to jump, can be done without a rider in a round pen. Teach students to canter in a round pen, teach horses to take leads in a round pen, desensitize horses in a round pen. And most important, teach horses to wear a bridle in a round pen.

Using a round pen is much like lunging, but it is easier on the arms. You don't need a lunge line in a round pen, you stand in the middle with a lunge whip and use your body pressure to teach the horse to more, to understand voice commands, and to respond to the human. You can also use it to teach beginners to balance, do balance exercises and as I mentioned, to teach students to canter. I recently read a report from a clinician from Australia who was doing corporate retreats using the principals of horses "working at liberty." He was using a round pen just like trainers all over the world have done for centuries!!

The idea is that the horse can only go so far and so fast. The confinement of the size of the ring keeps him restricts his movement and therefore restricts his mind frame. If you are desensitizing a horse, instead of forcing him to meet bags and tarps and other spooky objects, simply put him and the objects in the round pen and close the gate!! The wind, or simply his movement, will cause the objects to move, but the horse can't go very far away. In a short time, he realizes that it is more comfortable for him to ignore the objects than to try to get away, since he can't get very far away. Horses used for field trials get used to gunfire in a round pen, without a rider. The horse is confined in a round pen, the gun is fired at some distance away from the horse, moving closer with each firing. The horse gets used to the sound and smell because he can't go anywhere, and again, he learns that since he can't get away, and he can't stop it, his comfort lays in ignoring it.

Remember that from the horse's standpoint, in his thought pattern, the confinement of the round pen is a comfort. He knows it, soon, when none of the spooky stuff HURTS him he feels protected there, and he can't give way to blind panic which usually requires him to move rapidly in flight. If he can't do that, he must find security in other ways, and his small, safe confinement allows him to explore those ways.

Proper frame of mind

If you have a horse that needs some work, understand that you need to set up a situation where you have the best chance of success, and the horse has the disadvantage. You also need to understand that horses cannot be reasoned with in the same way you might present an opinion to a co-worker...getting a horse to behave in a way that makes YOU comfortable, is all about presenting the argument in a way the HORSE can understand. He isn't good at brainstorming sessions, and you can't count on him to make complex emotional connections.

I had a woman call me the other day and tell me her horse used to go in a trailer, but now he wouldn't go in. She thought it was because he liked where he lived and didn't want to leave her. She explained he had a good home, he was loved, he had a big pasture and she gave him treats and he was just afraid that if he got into the trailer, he wouldn't be able to come back. Horses are not capable of that kind of projection.

What horses CAN do is find their comfort level. This, unfortunately can also mean that NOT doing something is simply more comfortable for them than DOING something. Or, it can mean that establishing themselves as boss can be more comfortable for them than doing what the rider, handler, or owner has in mind. Also, not every horse has the same idea of comfort!! For some it is doing nothing, for some it is running off, for some it is establishing themselves in control of the situation and for others it is being with other horses. You have to be able to understand the individual horse to understand his comfort levels, and you can't expect to apply YOUR reasoning to HIS feelings.

If you have a horse that is doing something you don't like, you have to have the proper frame of mind to fix the problem. It is more about frame of mind than about skill. I've seen people with a lot of skills who can't get anything out of horses, they have problems with even the nicest horses. I've seen people with confidence and a positive attitude ride far ABOVE their ability and get along with horses.

I had a horse a couple of years ago who was very nice. I rode him as crowd control for a Civil War Reenactment, guns going off, crowds, cars, he was great. But he was also smart and I had to stop using him for lessons because he learned that timid riders could be bullied and he would park in the middle of the ring, or at the gate and NOT BUDGE A FOOT! His comfort level was controlling the situation and moving around the ring with a beginner bouncing on his back, just didn't seem like that much fun to him!!

One of my regular adult lessons came out and brought a friend, who was visiting from out of state. The friend wanted to ride and said she "Thought she might have been on a pony when she was little but couldn't remember!" OK, this is a real beginner!!! I brought out Rob because he might not GO anywhere, but at least he wasn't going to KILL her. When she got on him and he stopped, I told her to yell at him with some authority and he would move. She did, and she was good at it!!! She'd raised four boys, all teenagers, and she could sound like a drill sergeant!! This horse snapped to attention, went out on the rail, and worked the entire lesson without a bobble!! It wasn't skill, it was attitude. The horse was more comfortable doing what he knew and what he was being told to do, than he was resisting the force of her personality.

Loading on a trailer
Loading in a trailer is a great example. In our family, we've probably worked with a thousand horses in the last decade alone. Out of that, we've had maybe a dozen that didn't want to load and every one of them DID in fact load in under an hour. And that includes foals that have never SEEN a trailer before. We've loaded every horse at least twice, once to bring him here, and once to get him out of here. Many of them we've shown or taken places, so we've loaded them several times.

The other day a woman called me. While she was talking, she mentioned that she was looking at a mini stallion for her child (OK, crazy right there!) but that when she bought him, they couldn't get him loaded to get him home. How can you NOT load a mini, you can practically pick one up and put it in the trailer!!! The whole concept baffled me. But at least once a week I get calls from people who want to know if the horse trailers...because they have one that wouldn't!!

Personally, I've never seen "feeding" them onto a trailer work. When you get to that point, you have admitted to the horse that you aren't the boss of the situation and that he HAS a choice! He doesn't. He needs to get on the trailer because that's where you want him to be!! What I do have is a lot of confidence that a thousand horses before have gotten on a trailer for me, he will too. I walk up to the trailer KNOWING he will get on. If he starts to stop, I'll growl at him. I have someone walk along behind him with he same positive attitude. 99% just walk right on. It doesn't matter if it is a step up or a ramp (I've got both) they go because it doesn't dawn on them they have a choice and that's half the battle.

A couple of tricks.
One, never try to load a problem horse by yourself. We always use two or three people if it is a new horse and we don't know what it is going to do. Be over prepared the first time, because every time you lose, it is harder the next time. Once you know he will load, fine, I load horses all the time by myself because I know they will go.

Second...DON'T LOOK AT THE HORSE...you aren't talking to him, you want him to load on the trailer. If you simply pick up a positive pace, look forward, and you walk onto the trailer, nine times out of ten he will follow. When I see people walk up to a trailer, step into it, then turn around and face the trailer, I am never surprised when there is trouble. Think about the horse's perspective. Horses only think about one thing at a time. He is walking into a hole. If he is smart, he is considering how and when to step up, or where he will stand when he gets in there. He is going, because he trusts the human, the human doesn't see a problem, so his job is to figure out how to follow and how to fit. Now, the human gets in and then stops...does that mean it isn't safe? The the human turns around and makes eye contact...suddenly the horse isn't thinking of getting into the trailer, he is thinking about the human looking him in the eye!!! Now his forward progress is stopped and his thought are anywhere BUT the trailer...no wonder he wouldn't go in...you haven't asked him right!

NEVER CIRCLE A HORSE AROUND TO TRY AGAIN. The key to getting a horse to go on the trailer is not giving him a choice. Keep his head facing the only option available. People are ALWAYS circling to get another run at it. If he wouldn't go the first time, what makes you think he will go the second time?? He said NO, and you accepted that answer and walked him away...that's what he sees. So the second time he says NO again, and you circle again. Each circle takes the pressure off of him, at least for a while. Once he is headed for the trailer, if he ducks sideways, or pulls back, KEEP HIS HEAD FACING THE OPEN TRAILER, even if his body has drifted far off the ramp or step up. Keep the pressure on. Convince him that the only way OUT of the pressure is to go FORWARD, INTO THE TRAILER.

We often use a lunge line across the back end. Tie it to one side, or put a person on each side, and keep the pressure on the line. With the head facing the trailer, and the line around his butte, the only way to find comfort from the pressure is into the trailer.

Training your horse to go over an obstacle.
Sometimes horses need to learn to go over something such as a bridge or tarp. Most people don't understand how to do this easily. The trick with a horse is not to get into a fight you can't win, so sometimes careful planning is more important than how to fight the battle.

Let's suppose you have a tarp you want the horse to cross. The first step it to desensitize the horse to the sound and smell of the plastic or whatever it is. We have discusses using a round pen for that. If you try taking him over the bridge or tarp, and he refuses, you have two options. First, if you feel secure and you have a good seat, you can continue to try to ride him across. But that can sometimes get into horses rearing because they don't want to move forward. A better suggestion is to get off and start on the ground.

The key here is the same as the trailer...DON'T LET THE HORSE TURN AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE OR TARP!! If he dances around it in a complete circle, fine. Keep the pressure on the reins and keep him facing the obstacle. Don't move him around in a circle to try again. I don't care WHAT way he goes across it the firs time, left, right, up, down, or OVER. Sure, I don't care if he JUMPS the thing the first time. He went forward, OVER it, and in a couple of times THAT will get to be too much trouble and he'll start moving over it on the ground. Again, once started, don't let him turn away from it. Make sure that his only way to move forward is OVER the obstacle.

And again, have a positive frame of mind. Ranch horses are so good because they are broke by working cowboys. When these guys come to water, they don't ASK the horse to cross, they ASSUME the horse will cross. The rider's focus is already on the far side of the water before the horse ever gets to it. So, the horse goes. First because he doesn't know he has a choice, and second because the rider is confident and the horse feels comfortable because it must be safe, this guy on his back isn't concerned!

Recreational riders approach water and ASK the horse if he want to cross. The horse first realizes he apparently HAS a choice. And second, maybe he should take a second look. Suddenly this person ON him is nervous, timid, fearful. The rider is hesitant, so the HORSE begins to wonder what is out there that he can't see, doesn't sense. Must be something, this person suddenly seems very fearful. So the horse literally becomes fearful of whatever is affecting the rider that HE can't see. He starts looking for it, he starts acting up and the situation goes downhill from there. That's why we teach riders to get OFF. You might get wet, but you aren't afraid of the horse acting up and you getting thrown. So, you have more confidence. If you are willing to walk through the water, it must be OK and the horse will go.

Look at yourself...carefully
I had a woman call me a couple of months back. She wanted a horse that was on trial for six months!! I've never heard of that, and told her so. She explained to me that she had three horses in the last two years and they were ALL lovely horses when she bought them. But after five months, they each started into behaviors that she couldn't handle and they scared her. I didn't sell her the horses, I didn't know her before the phone call, but my advice to her was to get some help and some lessons before she bought another horse, because if three horses from three different sellers were all nice to start with and got out of hand after five months, it was HER not THEM. Horses simply don't have the ability or the motivation to PLOT against an owner like that. They don't LURE you into believing they are good until a sale goes hard and spring bad behavior on you five months later. Horses react and find their comfort level. Whatever she was doing, whatever she was presenting to them, it was her not them.....it just took well trained horses that long to degenerate their behavior to a level she noticed. I suspect there were warning signs well before five months!

My old trainer used to say, "It takes two to fight." I can remember getting so mad at that....the horse was clearly pulling at the bridle and being BAD. Later I learned that if you ignore some things and concentrate on getting the job done another way, you can avoid fights. Later I learned that even with people, it takes two to fight, so I guess old Mac was right. Again, a positive, confident attitude can divert a horse from one action that you don't want and get him to do something you DO want.

People are always asking me "what level is this horse in the pecking order." How do I know, I can't predict future behaviors with this horse and a horse or horses I've never seen. You would behave very differently if I put you down in a crowd at the Kennedy Center than you would if I dropped you in the middle of the hood in Baltimore!! Your behavior would be different, your attitudes, fears, hopes and even what you said would be different. So expect that your horse will behave differently with some fields of horses than with others. There is also the gang affect. I've seen timid horses become friends with each other and together they rule the herd. Alone, they get abused. If we could all predict how horses or people would react to others simply by knowing the individuals well, there wouldn't be so many BAD blind dates!!!

The same is true for horses and their new owners. Sometimes a horse just doesn't LIKE his new surroundings or his new owner. I had a woman tell me once that it couldn't be her...he was just a BAD horse...because she took really good care of him. From the horses standpoint, he can't weigh the pros and cons of a relationship. He just knows that this rider doesn't feel good to him. Some horses have more tolerance that others, but almost all of them have some people they will react better to than others. If you have a horse that scares you, or that you feel uncomfortable on, the best thing to do is get rid of him, let him find someone who appreciates him, and find something that FITS better. A horse and rider are like a marriage. When the chemistry is good, it is great, when it's not, there is a lot of friction. Sometimes that fit takes a while to grow, and sometimes it is just a personality clash.

Before you start badmouthing the horse, the person who sold it to you, and anyone within shouting distance, take a look at yourself. Are you expecting the worst from this horse? Are you over critical of his every step? Do you pick at him emotionally? Are you a little afraid of him? Are you confident or timid? Sometimes it isn't that there is anything WRONG with either of you, you two just don't fit together. Relax, try again, but take an honest look at yourself so you can better decide what traits would better suit you in the next horse.

A horse's work ethic, and yours!
Horses like people, have to have a good work ethic to really interact with people. I know a lot of trainers who wouldn't take a horse older than four (Depending on the breed) if they haven't been broke. Like children, learning to work has to start early and grow with the horse. A horse that has been started in his second or third year, third or fourth for some breeds, including warmbloods, and has some miles on him, will remain a good worker for the rest of his life. Horses that have been allowed to run and do what they want until well into maturity, will often never learn to work with a human and enjoy the bond.

I had a big 16+h paint a few years ago. His owner had broke him as a 3 year old and used him for pre-level dressage. She rode him for five months, then she had some medical problems, and she turned him out to pasture. The following spring, she put a friend on him straight out of pasture and he bucked and the woman went off, so she turned him BACK out to pasture. The following year she put him with a cowboy trainer for two weeks, rode the buck off of him, and sold him through a sale. A local guy bought him and loved him for the first few weeks, then the horse stopped working, bucked him off and the guy sold him. When I bought him I thought he would make a great hunter. I had a couple of good rider working for me, and we figured we could put some hours into him and turn him into a nice hunter. He would ride well for a couple of weeks, then when you went to put some pressure on him, start moving him into some exercises to get him to use himself over fences, he would get just nasty. We could lay him off, turn him out to pasture for a couple of weeks, bring him in and start working again, and he would be fine for a while, until he just got tired of it. I sent him back out to the midwest, he went down to a big farm in NC, they had the same problem and last I heard of him he still hadn't decided to be a consistent worker. There was nothing wrong with him except he would just get tired of working because he'd spent so much time doing what he wanted to in his early years.

He isn't the only horse I've had, worked with, or known from friends. It's a pattern. If they don't learn to enjoy working with humans when they are young, they don't develop a good work ethic and they don't make reliable, consistent riding horses later in life.

Not only do horses need early work, they need consistent work, at least for a while. Thirty or sixty days riding isn't going to produce a solid, well mannered horse. As the saying goes, the horse needs miles, or "wet saddle blankets." which means that he doesn't need to be TAUGHT or TRAINED as much as he just needs to be ridden consistently.

If you have a green horse, you can make it into a good one, but YOU have to be a good, consistent worker too! Riding a green horse one day, then leaving them alone for a week or two isn't going to be as good for the horse as doing SOMETHING with him three or four times a week. Set up the pattern of interaction and he will learn to be comfortable working with you. Leave him on his own for long periods of time, and he will want to be alone or with horses rather than work with a rider.