Wednesday, March 27, 2013

How Much Weight Can a Horse Carry?

Horsesciencenews.com - Full Article

by Liz Osborn © HorseScienceNews.com

While most healthy horses can easily carry a rider and saddle, they do have their limits. Now researchers have identified a threshold for when a rider is too heavy for a horse to comfortably carry.

The scientists base their findings on detailed measurements taken of eight horses that were ridden while packing anywhere from 15 to 30% of their body weight. The horses ranged in size from 400 to 625 kilograms (885 to 1375 pounds).

When carrying 15 and 20% of their body weight, the horses showed relatively little indication of stress. It's when they were packing weights of 25% that physical signs changed markedly, and these became accentuated under 30% loads...

Read more here:
http://www.horsesciencenews.com/horseback-riding/how-much-weight-can-a-horse-carry.php

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