THE CURSE OF THE CURVES
This is a 6-year-old 2020 blog that I have updated a bit. The curse of the curves is about my ever-ongoing consciousness of my weight. I'm not the lightest. Not the shortest either, though for Dutch standards I'm pretty average. In the UK however I seem to tower over many of my fellow endurance riders. The topic of rider weight is hotter than ever, and rightly so. It is important not to overload our horses, but we women are already being body shamed more than enough. Nuance is needed, this blog is about self-regulation in a way that is neither obsessive nor deflecting. Understanding weight, the difference of adding clothes, boots, and in my case several mugs of tea ;) , the weight of the saddle, and a numnah (wet or dry!) and riding and balance skills.... and then of course the load capacity of the horse, sturdy or lanky, well put together or with some conformation faults, not to mention old injuries... It all (literally) adds up. Here is that updated blog:
I am not riding much at the moment. The reason? I am not (yet) on my self-set rider weight. In 2009, I decided that if I wanted to keep riding Arabs in long-distance and progress to FEI, I needed to lose weight, and I should weigh around 75 kg to to ride FEI, preferably less. I was over 85 kg at that time, so it was not only good for my horses but also for my general health. I managed to get to the 75kg, occasionally less, for instance for the European Championships in 2019, but it was never easy, Less so when getting older, Covid in 2020, heart issues in the last few years. Riding shorter distances and not as many horses has made me less fit, and therefore burn fewer calories in my everyday life. Add the lovely menopause, and the pounds pile on. Even worse, they are harder to get rid of. So yes, I'm a little more than my preferred 75 kg, but definitely not over the red zone 80kg, which is a definite riding cut off for me.
Rider weight is a topic which is in the news a lot, and so it should be. We owe it to our horses to be fit and easy to carry. Weight is part of this, more weight will put more strain on the horse's back, bones, joints and ligaments. Young horses especially need to get used slowly to the added weight of a rider, which can take up to a year if done properly. But any horses rested for a longer period need to get used to carrying a load again, hence the slow build up in distance and duration of riding in the beginning of our season. The more weight to carry, the slower the build up. But it is important to realise rider weight is not the only part of an appropriate load. I have seen overweight riders on my Riding Simulator who are very balanced and "light" in their way of riding, and equally, I see some light riders who are quite a burden as they are more stiff and rigid. Riding skills matter, they don't take away the weight, but at least won't add an extra strain.
The same load is perceived differently per horse; not only height and weight of the horse can be different, giving a different ratio of weight and/or lever with the rider addition. But the conformation of the horse, the sturdiness of the legs and the length of back to distribute rider weight over an appropriate surface, are important factors. And when we have old injuries, conformation faults, weak pasterns and a less than ideal balance of loading or movement, the risk of load is heightened. As an example, I can compare my 15hh (151 cm) stallion Watt, weighing 420 kg, sturdy, short backed and compact, to my Moragh: 15.2 (158 cm), around 475 kg, long-legged Bambi look-alike with 2 very different front feet shapes. I'm well within the 20% weight ratio for Moragh, borderline for Watt, but Watt can carry me easily, whilst with Moragh I need to be super balanced and help her because she isnt as well balanced and sturdy,
So the self-regulation continues, I wish it were different as I have been struggling with my weight since a teenager. I'm not fat, but I have curves, plenty of curves. And fondness for good food, the odd drink and a sweet tooth does not help matters (and neither does getting older...). Nor does winter, short (cold!) days, long nights. And as I push myself all spring, summer and autumn to reach my goals, I allow myself to let go a little in winter. The winters have been hard, the goals have been less, the weight became sligtly more.
I'll slowly get back to a healthier riding weight, which will be good for everyone, my horses and myself. Will you join me?
