How Much Weight Can my Horse Carry?
Last updated March 17, 2008 at 1:30 pm - Viewed 8,705 times. Related Keywords: equipment, horse, load size, mule, outfitter, pack mule, pack saddle, packer, packing, pannier, riding, saddle, saddle mule, saddlebag, Saddlebags, scabbard, trail horse, trail riding, trail saddle, weight
This is the question we receive most often from our customers; unfortunately there is not a simple answer. As with people, some animals will be able to comfortably carry more weight than others and each animal needs to be evaluated individually. However, there are some guidelines to help determine how much weight is too much. The basic rule of thumb: 20% of the animal’s body weight, depending on all of the factors I’ve listed below.
Factors to consider
Always take the following into account when determining how much to weight you can load, whether it’s your trail horse, your pack horse, your saddle mule or your pack mule:
- The animal’s size and weight
- The animal’s current health (including the condition of their feet!)
- The animal’s conditioning and fitness level (including whether or not he’s well rested)
- The animal’s conformation (see more information on this subject below)
- The animal’s attitude (just like with teenagers, some just won’t WANT to carry as much)
- The animal’s age (too young is just as limiting as too old)
- The weight of the trail saddle or pack saddle, as well as how well it fits the horse or mule
- How well the saddle can distribute weight across the animal’s back (a pack saddle is designed to distribute more weight than a trail saddle, and a good, square skirted trail saddle will be much better than a small barrel saddle. We strongly advise you not to use a tree-less saddle)
- The rider’s weight
- Ability of the rider (a novice rider often throws the horse off balance without meaning to)
- Design of the packs or horse saddlebags (how do they attach? Are they stabilized at enough points?)
- Distance of the ride (don’t forget; you can always lesson the horse’s effort by walking part of the trail yourself)
- Type of terrain (obviously mountainous versus flat terrain is a major difference, but also consider whether or not the horse will be off-trail and stepping over trees, rocks, creeks, etc.)
- Altitude (ALWAYS allow your horse to acclimate to altitude change; just like us, they can suffer severe altitude sickness)
- Temperature and weather conditions
How well do you know your animal?
I cannot stress enough that you have to know your animal. You should re-evaluate for every trip at least the animal’s condition as well as the temperature, distance, altitude and terrain of your ride and base your load weight on those factors. If your animal is not up to the task you are asking of him, you may be endangering not only his life, but yours as well. And remember: even though they share a pasture and get the same amount of exercise, each animal is truly different. For example, I once owned a tough, raw-boned pack mule named Henry. Henry only weighed about 1100 pounds, but he could pack a 250 pound load for 15 miles in hot weather and dance the whole way. However, Daisy is pushing 35 and would be retired if she didn’t pitch such a fit when she gets left behind. Daisy’s loads typically weigh in at maybe 12-15% of her body weight. We all walk a little slower to accommodate her and I keep her in mind when deciding how far we’ll go each day.
Conformation
Conformation is often a factor in how well your loads ride. For example, the load on a low-withered animal will need to be packed carefully and evenly. Even a minor difference in weight or weight distribution from one side to the other can cause the saddle to constantly shift. At best, this is an inconvenience, as you will have to constantly stop and adjust your packs. At worst, the saddle could slip to the side completely and cause a wreck. As another example, a short-backed horse may not be able to carry heavily weighted large saddlebags as they may sit uncomfortably on the horse’s kidneys.
Rider’s Weight vs. Pack Weight
Additionally, it is important to remember that live weight (the rider) rides differently than dead weight (a pack load of any kind) and the 20% rule doesn’t necessarily apply to live weight. A rider can shift in the saddle to help compensate for rough terrain or can even get off and walk. A good rider is also easier for a horse to carry than an inexperienced one. An experienced rider in a well-fitting saddle on a well-conditioned horse might be fine on a long, tough ride, even if the combined weight of saddle and rider is more than 20% of the animal’s body weight.
Dead weight, on the other hand, cannot adjust to terrain changes and, therefore, must be carefully packed to stay in place regardless of conditions. Remember, gravity works. Once a pack begins to slide off to one side, it gravity will keep it going. This can upset your animal, cause soring or, even worse, a disastrous wreck.
Packing a load to ride well
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules on how to pack a load. It depends upon what you are packing, your equipment, your animal and your experience level. However, there is one rule to always bear in mind…equal size, equal weight and equal weight distribution. If you follow this rule, you should generally have less trouble packing a load.
- Equal size. It is much easier to balance a load that is the same size on each side. This is easy with panniers and saddlebags, which have a fixed size. It is more difficult with mantied loads. This is the main reason I recommend panniers to beginning packers.
- Equal weight. Any kind of load should be balanced. If your panniers, saddlebags or horn bags do not weigh the same, you need to balance the lighter side by hanging something else off of that side such as your bow or rifle scabbard, pack saw, camp axe or extra water bottle.
- Equal weight distribution. Try to pack each pannier, saddlebag or horn bag so that the weight is distributed evenly throughout. Do not pack all of the grain in the front of one pannier and your down sleeping bag in the back. Also, while most animals best carry weight high and close to their back, be careful not to make a load top heavy. Remember the top pack is meant for bulky, lightweight items.
Saddle Fit
Riding saddles and pack saddles need to fit well. A poor fitting saddle will not properly distribute weight across the horse’s back. If the fit is poor, it can cause sore muscles or even open wounds. Before loading any weight on your animal, be sure to double check the fit and condition of your saddle. If you run your hands between the saddle bars and the animal, you should not feel any significant gaps in contact - our rule of thumb is 85% even contact between the bars and the horse.
Sorry, No Simple Answer…
There is never a simple black & white answer to “How much weight can my horse carry?” The answer always has to be determined on an individual basis considering the factors mentioned above. As I said, most of these items are simply common sense, but so many of the horror stories that I have been told over the years could have easily been prevented if the people involved had just honestly and critically judged their animal’s strengths and weaknesses.
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