The riding school in Glimmen, a village in the municipality of Groningen, is making headlines after a great initiative. Equestrian center owners put their members on the scales. Anyone who weighs too much is not allowed to ride a horse.
Scales may point to a maximum of 95kg at De Bongerd riding school in Glimmen. Or at least with those who want to ride a horse. All members received an email with the announcement and everyone who comes to drive must weigh the scales first. Regardless of the rider’s build. “It’s very hard to come up with this,” says Simone Limajer, who runs a riding school with her two sisters. But we do it for the sake of animal welfare. Our members also want the best for the horses themselves, so fortunately there is a lot of understanding.”
Lamejer argues that if you weigh too much, it can cause problems for the horse. Especially if that knight was also inexperienced. “A person who rides less well can start hitting and that’s not good for horses.”
The equestrian center’s logic isn’t too crazy. Previous British research showed that horses are less fussy when they are loaded with 15-20 percent of their weight.
