# Does riding a horse hurt its back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 8, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859 "2006-09-08T00:59:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/1 "2006-09-08T00:59:59Z")
Were horses genetically designed to carry a rider? Sure they are strong but carrying 200 pounds on your back for hours on end has to put a strain somewhere. Do horses suffer from back or joint fatigue from carrying a person or a pack for an extended period? Are there horse chiropractors for such situations? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/2 "2006-09-08T02:53:07Z")
[QUOTE=solkoe] Were horses genetically designed to carry a rider? Sure they are strong but carrying 200 pounds on your back for hours on end has to put a strain somewhere. Do horses suffer from back or joint fatigue from carrying a person or a pack for an extended period? Are there horse chiropractors for such situations? [/QUOTE] Horses weren’t originally designed to carry a rider, but the ones we’ve been selectively breeding for 5000 years sure are. Horses do get tired, like any other animal does, and they do age, but in the course of normal usage a healthy riding horse has no problem at all bearing the weight of a human. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/3 "2006-09-08T03:10:17Z")
A horse weighs a lot. A person is a pretty small percentage of the horse’s weight, really. In fact, this [stable’s information sheet on riding lessons states:](http://www.bluestreakstables.com/lessons/lessonstext.htm) > [@](#): > > Our horses can accommodate a riders weight of 180 lbs or less for riding lessons. (Our horse may carry no more than 20% of his weight.) I could carry 30-35 pounds around on my back for quite a while, as long as it wasn’t all bouncy and wriggling. Horses, too, are “happier” with good riders; I’m sure they’re easier to carry. So 200 is pushing it, especially for “hours on end” as you propose. Of course, some horses are bigger and stronger than others. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/4 "2006-09-08T03:25:36Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] So 200 is pushing it, especially for “hours on end” as you propose. Of course, some horses are bigger and stronger than others. [/QUOTE] That is why Clydesdales are predicted to be the #1 pleasure riding horse in the U.S. by 2015. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/5 "2006-09-08T07:44:07Z")
Yes there are equine chiropractors, as well as equine acupuncturists. Horses can develop “ouchy” backs, but saddle fit is probably more important than the weight of the rider, as long as we aren’t talking about someone tremendously heavy. (Would you rather Horses have differently shaped backs, and a saddle that is comfortable for one may not be for the next. Horses that have problems usually have the in their legs or feet. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/6 "2006-09-08T09:19:30Z")
A badly fitting saddle, a bunched up numnah (saddle pad), an inexperiences rider who’s never been taught how to sit properly [on a horse], an experienced rider who can’t “carry” themself properly can all cause problems. It doesn’t hurt the horse just to have someone sitting on them. You sit on the horse’s “upper torso” which is stronger than it’s lumbar area - which is why you shouldn’t ride in pairs (one behind the other) as that will damage the horse’s back. “Good” rider’s know how to distribute their weight evenly - I can - and for several years rode [including jumping] a horse who used to struggle to carry someone who was at least 2 stone (28lbs) _lighter_ than me… ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/7 "2006-09-08T14:36:24Z")
I used to work at a horse farm. After the horses were “green broke” I would ride them until they were fully broken and comfortable with a rider. I didn’t understand it completely, (I wasn’t an expert by any means-- I just enjoyed riding the horsies) but he told me that you have to wait until a horse is a certain age or you’ll damage its back by putting a rider on them. He chose me because I’m light and small-- good for younger horses. He put me on horses which were old enough to ride, but that it was best to start them out with a lighter load “just to be sure.” ---
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/8 "2006-09-08T15:07:59Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Yes there are equine chiropractors, as well as equine acupuncturists. [/QUOTE] How does this work? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/9 "2006-09-08T15:37:12Z")
Get a camel! ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/10 "2006-09-08T15:44:20Z")
That horse under Wilford Brimley in the commercial on TV didn’t look happy. Sorry, I can’t find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/11 "2006-09-08T15:45:38Z")
That horse under Wilford Brimley in the commercial on TV didn’t look happy. :eek: Sorry, I can’t find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/12 "2006-09-09T01:16:14Z")
No, the horses back is certainly not hurt. Not if the horse is in proper condition, wearing a correctly-fitted saddle, and with a rider who knows what they are doing. There is a sport called endurance riding, where horse & rider go on a long ride, sometimes over several days and different terrains, and the team with the fastest overall time wins. (Rather like a Tour de France, but on horseback (and without drugs).) Rides of 25-50 miles per day are common, some go up to 75 miles or more per day. And many of them go on for 2, 3 or more days in succession. And there will be official ‘pit stops’ along the way, where officials/veterinarians will check the horses’ temperature and heart & respiratory rate – any horse outside the limits will be pulled from the race, either temporarily or permanantly. See [http://www.aerc.org/](http://www.aerc.org/) for the website of the American Endurance Ride Conferance. ---
**Author:** ![Phrontist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phrontist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phrontist)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/13 "2006-09-09T01:21:58Z")
To kill men effectively you used spears. So that your riders weren’t knocked off their horses you braced them with seats and leg hooks. If you wanted horses that could take the redirected force of the hits you needed to breed them and house and feed them. This chain of necessity was the basis for the entire chivalric system. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/14 "2006-09-09T01:36:49Z")
Horses do get sore backs, from several causes, as other posters have already mentioned. [This webpage](http://www.austinequine.com/article01.html) gives a good overview of causes and treatments. My own Thoroughbred has had back problems, both primary from impingement of the dorsal spinous processes (“kissing spines”) and secondary to hock arthritis. Fortunately, injections of corticosteroids resolved the imflammatory reactions and relieved his pain. From time to time over the coming years he’ll need shots again, since the underlying pathology can be palliated but not cured. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/15 "2006-09-09T01:46:25Z")
[QUOTE=Phrontist] To kill men effectively you used spears. So that your riders weren’t knocked off their horses you braced them with seats and leg hooks. [/QUOTE] For most of the hundreds of years that horses were used in war, ‘leg hooks’ (I presume you mean stirrups) had not been invented yet.\* But they were still able to kill men with spears, and pretty effectively. In fact, even saddles were not used thru much of this time. The major advantage of horse-mounted calvary thru most of history was that the horses could get the troops to the battle location faster, fresher (less tired) and could carry more supplies. - A ‘real-time video’ of this is available in the Bayeux Tapestry, where it depicts the 1066 conquest of England by the Normans. The Tapestry shows the Normans riding on horses with stirrups, while the English riders did not have any stirrups. This technological advantage may be a partial reason the Normans won the battle of Hastings. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/16 "2006-09-09T11:23:33Z")
[QUOTE=EddyTeddyFreddy] My own Thoroughbred has had back problems, both primary from impingement of the dorsal spinous processes (“kissing spines”) [/QUOTE] Is that a recently discovered condition, or is it just becoming more common these days? I’d never heard of it 20 years ago, but it seems to be cropping up more and more… ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/17 "2006-09-09T11:43:59Z")
[QUOTE=solkoe] How does this work? [/QUOTE] Presumably the same way it works (or doesn’t work, depending on how you feel about alternative medicine) on people. I really don’t know anything about it besides that it exists. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/18 "2006-09-12T05:27:02Z")
[QUOTE=Lobelia Overhill] Is that a recently discovered condition, or is it just becoming more common these days? I’d never heard of it 20 years ago, but it seems to be cropping up more and more… [/QUOTE] My WAG is that it’s no more common than before but is better understood and diagnosed as medical science in general has advanced. There are diagnostic modalities in use in veterinary medicine today that were unknown, or only employed in human medical care, a couple of decades ago. Another WAG: That more horse owners (and vets?) are willing to look deeper than traditional answers to problems with horses such as: “Oh, he’s cold-backed, he always needs a warmup before you can tighten the girth.” Well, yeh he is, but why? A cold back isn’t a single, simple condition; it’s a symptom that something’s going on, in the back, or in the hindquarters, or in the joints, or in the musculature, or… And now we have better tools to investigate what’s going on. Dunno if you’ve heard of a fellow named Jack Meagher, the father of modern equine massage therapy. He’s dead now, but a decade ago I watched him work on my horse, and others. He could massage the muscle spasms out of a horse that appeared lame, say, in its left front and reveal that the source of the problem was, say, in the right rear, and that the horse’s apparent lameness came from compensating for the underlying problem. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/19 "2006-09-12T05:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] A horse weighs a lot. A person is a pretty small percentage of the horse’s weight, really. [/QUOTE] Some more information from [Cherry Hill’s online newsletter](http://www.horsekeeping.com/Horse_Newsletter/June_2006.htm): > [@](#): > > How much weight can a horse carry? This will depend on several factors including the horse’s weight, bone, conformation, breed, condition, type of riding, rider’s skill, and type of saddle used. > > An often quoted thumb rule is that a horse can carry 20% of his weight. This would mean a 1200 pound horse could carry 240 pounds which would include rider plus tack. Horses with denser, larger bone might be able to carry more than the 20%. Bone is determined by measuring the circumference of the foreleg just below the knee. Average is about 8 ½ inches for a 1200 pound riding horse. If a horse has lighter bone, he would likely be able to carry less than 20%. If he has heavier bone, he would likely be able to carry more than 20%. Horses with short strong backs, short strong loins and tight coupling tend to be able to carry more weight than average. That’s why Icelandic, Arabian and some Quarter Horses are suited to carry higher weights. A horse in peak condition will be able to support weight better than a thin, poorly conditioned horse. A horse used for walking and posting trot work might be able to carry more weight than a horse that is used for galloping or jumping. But even that depends on the skill of the rider. A skilled rider sits in balance and moves in harmony with the horse. A loose, crooked or imbalanced rider continually throws the horse off balance and thus makes his work more difficult. Therefore a skilled rider might be able to ride a smaller horse while a novice rider might require a larger, more solid horse to compensate for the erratic movements of the rider. Finally, the type of saddle can affect the weight carrying capacity of a horse’s back. A rider’s weight as well as the weight of the saddle itself, is distributed on the horse’s back by the bearing surface of an English saddle’s panels or the tree of a Western saddle. An average English saddle has a bearing surface of about 120 square inches and an average Western saddle has a bearing surface of about 180 inches. So when using a Western saddle, a rider’s weight will be borne by an area that is 1 ½ times the size of the bearing surface of an English saddle. When comparing, you will also need to take into consideration that a Western saddle might weigh 15-40 pounds while an English saddle would weigh between 10-20 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-riding-a-horse-hurt-its-back/371859/20 "2006-09-12T11:42:55Z")
[QUOTE=EddyTeddyFreddy] Another WAG: That more horse owners (and vets?) are willing to look deeper than traditional answers to problems with horses such as: “Oh, he’s cold-backed, he always needs a warmup before you can tighten the girth.” Well, yeh he is, but why? A cold back isn’t a single, simple condition; it’s a symptom that something’s going on, in the back, or in the hindquarters, or in the joints, or in the musculature, or… And now we have better tools to investigate what’s going on. [/quote] Yeah I’d say it was more knowledge these days, I often wonder about a horse I knew who was “cold backed” he lay down and rolled (almost onto me) when I sat on him one time :eek: another time when someone was tightening his girth he went ballistic and literally threw himself flat on his side (on grass) - this horse was 18hh and being used in a riding school… I think that needed some investigation > [@](#): > > Dunno if you’ve heard of a fellow named Jack Meagher, the father of modern equine massage therapy. He’s dead now, but a decade ago I watched him work on my horse, and others. He could massage the muscle spasms out of a horse that appeared lame, say, in its left front and reveal that the source of the problem was, say, in the right rear, and that the horse’s apparent lameness came from compensating for the underlying problem. Not heard of him, but have heard of these mysterious “back people” who can cure a horse just by digging their thumb into the right spot on a horse… fascinating stuff! > [@](#): > > An often quoted thumb rule is that a horse can carry 20% of his weight. This would mean a 1200 pound horse could carry 240 pounds which would include rider plus tack. **tries to figure out what size horse I’d need…**