Dad wants to start!!

[G.Gracious]

My dad would love to start riding but he's quit heavy. He's not really fat, just quite heavy!! I was wondering how much weight a 15hh Clydesdale/TB x Fell (Middleweight cob type) could carry?

[Kanuma]

wellstan my 14 hh connemara can take an 18 stone man and gallop off with him up a hill and be unstoppable at the top!! and believe me the hills round here arnt little (most of them are very steep and long comes from liveing on the doorstep of a mountain range!)
a 15hh middleweight cob should be able to take your father as stan isnt very cobby (a bit but not massively) and he took my father!!! have also had a 12.2hh showpony take off up the same hill as stan did with me on and i weigh 11 and a half stone! so they can take more weight then most people think!

[Yann]

I'm a dad who rides a 15.1 middleweight cob with no problems:)

I am quite lightly built though and only weigh in at about 10.5 stone though Rio could happily carry at least a couple more than that and has on occasion. Natives can carry a lot of weight for their height, especially something with clydesdale and fell in its breeding.

Go for it dad:D

[ChristianRider]

I think he'll do just fine on that type of horse. Draft horses and cobbies do a great job carrying heavy riders! Pretty please send us pics:D I've only seen my Dad ride western and that was twice, but when he ended up sideways in the saddle "trying to adjust his foot", I couldn't stop laughing:D

[G.Gracious]

I'll have pics of Gracie up by this evening, a friend is borrowing my digital camera so i can't upload pics until i get it back.

Yann, you are waaaaaay more lightly built than my dad! :D

I'm not sure if Gracie would manage though :( he's 16.5 stone :eek:

[Bloss]

Try letting gracie tell you. how about if when she has settled in and you have been riding her for a while let your dad get on her and walk around--- judge her reactions to all of this. eg. does she look asthough she is happy carrying him and moving easily or does she seem to be struggling. If your dad has never ridden before it would only be slow work anyway and i'm sure she would soon let you know if she couldn't manage it:D

[G.Gracious]

Good idea, Bloss :D

[Wally]

Unless the TB is well to the fore I'd say 15hh of ClydesdaleX Fell would manage 16.5 stone. Get them both used to each other slowly.

Fákur is our weight carrier, he's 14.1hh of Icelandic powerhouse.

[G.Gracious]

I went up to see Gracie today (she's not mine yet) and i had a good look at her and i think she could manage my dad. I'll probably get Gracie home in 1-3 weeks so i'll start introducing her to heavy people then!

As for the TB, i can't see any in her!! At the moment she has a full clip with a hogged mane but i saw a picture of her with a full mane and feathers and you can see the Clydesdale and Fell, i'm still looking out for a hint of TB!

[Wally]

Well the Fell was supposed to carry 19 stone of lead from the mines to the docks. The Clydesdale should add to that.

Start slowly to give them both time to adjust.

[FRED]

:) Good luck, im no light weight, but no heavy weight considering my build {14 .5 stone}, its amazing what horse can do and have done for us.
I have ridden fjords, section D welsh cobs and they have been fine, of course their fittness has been exellent.
Go steady and im sure your father will be wishing that he started his adventure years before.