[Chester]

My crystal ball has let me down. I was sure I could see a silver padlock coming this way.

[Fox Glove]

Size prejudice is everywhere..
Some people can not relate to it at all !
That has been made glarely obvisious by some posts,
I am quite taken aback by the lack of compassion,
And understanding that some have shown here..

But , remember, prejudice is born from ignorance.
Deep in my heart, I feel sorry for ignorant people..
They truely know no better, and wallow in it.
Do not ask them to walk a mile in anothers shoes..
For they are incapable of it! to that I say , fine.

People who can not see beyond what they are,
Have all sorts of bias, colour, religion , ect.
Perhaps they were raised in a home,by parents
Who knew no better, and were ignorant themselves.
Sometimes they can be enlightned, but for the most part.
They sadly can not..

SO if you are a bit left of center , in anyway, shape or fourm,
People like this will have something to say about it..
Behind your back, masked by the anonymity of the internet.
It is so easy to blythly state your mind, no matter how cruel.
No matter how narrow minded, no matter how ignorant.
How sad for them , they miss so much!

As for the over "weight" rider..
There are many riders that are not bone thin..
Anyone who knows me, knows I would rather foxhunt than eat!
There are many , many heavy men , and women who hunt..
And hunt well ! very well.. They can stay with the hounds,
And never turn from any obstacle..I have hunted and whipped
With quite a few Hunts, and seen many a round , happy hunter!
Mounted well , with a horse who was fit and happy as well..

You can be out for HOURS ! Gallop, after gallop, fence after fence..
If those horses hunt under these over"weight" riders for years and years.
And stay sound , and they do, I have seen it ,
So can any horse..well suited to it's rider and work!
Hunting is rigorious , and these animals are FIT ! sane sound and HAPPY.

So that is my two pence,
Do with it what you will..
Paula

[morgan21]

I have been keeping up with this thread and I must say that I have lost quite a bit of respect for some members on here and their remarks about overweight people.

For one day I would love to see you walk a life in an overweight persons shoes and see how it truely feels. It is easy to sit back and talk about self control, exercising and all that but it is totally different to actually live the life of an overweight person. You have no clue how it feels and you can't understand it one bit, not one bit.

For someone to say that they have no sympathy for someone who is overweight is like me saying that I have no sympathy for someone who is aneroxic. I mean come on.... have a little bit of compassion.

Sometimes I wonder why the kids I work with are so judgemental and then I see people/parents that are the same way..... it just kinda makes me stop and think hmmmmm, we still have a long way to go in this society.

[buddiebreeze]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

The ppl that are saying overweight riders do not look nice (i'm assuming) are refering to OBESE riders...I think riders that carry a bit of extra weight still look fine, but I must admit that really big, obese riders (man or woman) do NOT look pleasing to the eye.

Of course a big rider who is a good rider, balanced etc will help the horse to a degree, but IMO, a really big rider (and i'm not talking 10kgs overweight, i'm talking 50+) does not only do the overall picture no justice, they affect much more than that.

to ThisIsMe is from Oz, as I am, and when she was talking about show judges not liking the look of big riders, she's right. Showing (over here) is not dressage, we call dressage - dressage, showing is hacking over here...eg, led classes, hunter, maiden, novice, open hack classes etc...and I have yet meet a judge that isn't biased when it comes to weight. Obese riders do not get a look in here...its TRUE.


Just my 2 cents.

this is me on Breeze, she is 15hh and i am 210lbs- 75kg overweight! does this sight look terrible? i am obviosly well into your OBESE category of 50kg+....................do you even know what 50kg+ looks like? should i look like i need a crane to get out of bed in the morning? PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU MAKE THESE STATEMENT_ THEY ARE BOUND TO OFFEND!


just thought i would add that my horse has no health problems and a healthy back!!!!

[Lindsayanne]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

These pictures are very different. In the first pic, the rider is bareback and the horse is in a halter...it looks like more of a leisurely ride, where as the 2nd picture is a competion, so you are putting your training to the test. You are obviously trying much harder and working the horse harder...so its not the same as the first pic...just my opinion.

Trust me, that horse didn't know how to pick up his feet unless he was headed towards a feed bucket. First three months I owned him he drug his hind hooves with every stride of the trot. The picture was actually considered his "best" and was used as the picture in his sales ad! Point being, that thinner rider never asked him to use himself correctly and, in fact, taught and reinforced him to carry himself in a way that maximized concussion and the burden of a rider. Even when I'm bareback or on the trail I still make sure my horse is carrying me correctly and using his body safely and effectively. Competitions just happen to be when cameras are present.

But I guess it's a moot point since, according to you, me and my 75lbs extra look terrible on my horse and don't deserve to ever win anything anyway. Maybe I'll just stay home and eat...

[luvs2ride79]

Originally Posted by Lindsayanne

But I guess it's a moot point since, according to you, me and my 75lbs extra look terrible on my horse and don't deserve to ever win anything anyway. Maybe I'll just stay home and eat...

LMAO! You are great Lindsayanne... Too funny! I, for one, think you look just GREAT on your boy! He is so pretty and it looks like you both are having fun. The politics and biased in the horse ring is why I quit showing hunters... I had great equitation & form, and good horses, but I could never place better than 3rd no matter the judge. So I switched to Dressage and Jumpers when I was in high school and then never took less than 3rd!

~Barbara

[Barn_Brat]

Like I said befor, It is hard for some people to feel compassion when they are so caught up with themselves so caught up thinking they are better than us, they cant feel compassion cause at least it isent them, But Im really sick of people coming on here saying " I eat healthy and excersize" What makes you think we dont?

We dont sit around and eat all day! I've seen people who eat horribly and never excersize and and they are rail thin.

My brother was ALWAYS hungry, For all you skinny people that means no matter how much he ate he still felt hungry. I have this problem to and it sucks. We later found out it was a thyroid problem that I most likley have to.

I may get smacked for this, but its the truth, if your larger, the whole world is going to treat you different and it really hurts. At least in my school, if your thin your cared for by people, and if your bigger, your most likley ignored of taken advantage by your "friends" Of course the people who treat you differently because of your weight really arent your friends.

I know it hurts for me when all of my friend go to the bathroon and look into the mirrior, and Im the one that is 3 inches taller with broad shoulders.

Somepeople eat cause they are depressed, bored, or upset, to me this is not different than anorexia or bulimia, both are equally sad. Because the world thinks that is your chubbier, you must have no self control, and they think your a slob, but they dont think as the girls with anorexia a slob...So..yeah..

[MelissaH]

or like me....I eat because I love food! But I am learning portion size and what are healthier alternatives. Like a 3 Muskateer bar instead of a sneakers. less Fat!

[Barn_Brat]

Lol
I love three musketeres!! I like to put them in the frige and then pic off all the chocolate and just eat the nugget. But yeah, maybe we just love food Lol and arent as worried abut what other people think

[Lindsayanne]

Originally Posted by Barn_Brat

if your larger, the whole world is going to treat you different and it really hurts.

SO true. When I was in college I spent 1-2.5 hours at a gym 5 days a week. (and never got below 200lbs, BTW) You would not believe the dirty looks and muttered comments I got showing up at a gym weighing over 200lbs! people treated me like I didn't have a right to be there!

I'm fully convinced that most thin people who have never struggled with their weight would be much more comfortable if we stayed home sat on the couch eating, reinforcing their preconceived beliefs and allowing us to stay out of their ideal world where no one is fat or plain looking or speaks differently.