Is it true that most ranches weigh you before they allow you ride their horses?

Question

I have never been horseback riding and now my friend doesnt want to go for fear of being weighed....

Urggggggggggg.. I assuming if you don't weigh 300lbs you are safe....right?

Answer 1

I think that there may be a few ranches that weigh people, but what's the big deal.  They  want to match you up with a horse that can carry that weight. Five minutes after you are weighed, no one will remember or care.

Even if they don't weigh you, they look you over and guess your weight. Tell your friend not to worry about little things.

Besides, if she weighs 237 pounds then she weighs 237 pounds. What's the big deal????

Answer 2

Many ranches do and most would refuse to let you ride if your weight exceeds 230-250 pounds.

Answer 3

If they don't weigh people miss, the horse might have problems carrying the horse and it might result to a injury.

Answer 4

I have been riding horses all my life, and I have never heard of a ranch anywhere weighing riders.

Answer 5

No one I have ever heard of ever weighs anyone before putting them on a horse !!! That's not only impractical in a lot of places, it's also downright rude and insulting to the customer!! It's true that rental stables will have their staff look over potential riders so that heavier riders get matched with horses that are able to handle extra weight, but no place I have ever been has ever weighed anyone. I am also a certified instructor with years of teaching experience, and I have NEVER weighed a student prior to a lesson- it's just too embarrassing to them and to me.  If a young student is on the heavy side, I just make sure that they are matched with a horse that is taller and is up to carrying heavier loads. Horses are much stronger than people give them credit for, and forcing someone who is a bit overweight or out of shape to submit to something like being weighed in public is very humiliating. I can't blame your friend for being afraid to ride because she thinks she will be weighed in public. I WOULDN'T want that to happen to ME, either. About the only thing I can suggest is that both you and she look for a barn with staff who have some compassion for people who struggle with weight issues. Riding is great fun, and it's great exercise, and no, it is NOT only for the elite thin of the world. She has just as much of a right to enjoy the sport as anyone else, and she has the right to refuse to cooperate with such a humiliating thing. If the ranch owners refuse her service because of this, then you and she need to go somewhere else where they don't make this kind of an unreasonable demand.  Above all, DON'T give in to this kind of thing, and don't let your friend do it either. It's HER rights that are being restricted, for reasons which are totally unfair to her and to you. As for weighing 300 pounds or more, I have seen football players who weighed that much and who still rode without problems, so I know it's doable.  

Good luck, and I hope you and your friend can find a place with people who are willing to help you and not judge you.

Answer 6

HA! That's a funny one!

No, they don't weigh you. I've never heard of such a thing.

Answer 7

They usually have big strong horses that they put the heavy looking people on. I have never seen them weigh people.

All you have to do is call them and ask.

Answer 8

well, it's only fair.. I always weigh the horses when they ride me.

Answer 9

Not all of them do. Some, who use older horses that may have otherwise been put to sleep make sure the person is not too heavy for the horse they are using...

Answer 10

i give riding lesons and i have NEVERED weighed anyone before i put them on a horse