The Harsh Reality of the Equine Industry: Being Plus-sized
Riding horses and being involved in the equine industry can be a wonderful and rewarding experience for many people. I was very fortunate to ride horses from the age of five. there are many challenges within the industry, but being larger can create even more challenges. The average-sized riding pants are a 26 to 28. in this article I will refer to larger riders in breaches 34 sized. Within the horseback riding industries. there is a plethora of body sizes and types. Yet only some companies choose to not make a size 32 size breeches. I’m personally a 34 and have had to deal with some things that most riders don't have to deal with, like clothing, saddles, social stigma. This article will provide you with an inside view of what it’s like to be larger in this industry. I will not be mentioning any names of the brands either that discriminate.
All though I am not a professional in this industry, I have at least 12 years of experience. I would like to make sure we are on the same page. With research and multiple trainers, horses are best off with 20% or less of their weight on their back. This includes tack. So if a horse that is 1200 lbs with tack included it would be best off if there is no more than 240 lbs on their back.
Recently I've been scrolling through Instagram trying to find new breeches and shirts specifically for riding horses. Because I know there are people who look to me for advice and this would be the best place to ask for riders to tell me what they had to go through. I've seen various Instagram companies with breeches that only go up to 30 in size. A freaking 30! What about the many other sizes after it? And their shirts only went up to a medium? What about large and extra-large? Also, the company only posts photos with very petite people. Why do they do that? Is it fair that the companies only market to skinny people? This drastically annoys me because this problem needs to be fixed, it is unfair.
Outside of the equestrian industry Ambercrombie and Fitch had this same issue and the media was outraged. They had experienced a decrease in sales. They started offering larger sizes online after society voiced their opinions about their absurd outlook on how they market their brand.
In the equitation, a section of the hunter jumper show circuit that judges the rider and how they look while the horse moves. portions of shows, we see all the judges generally favor and place the slimmer body types over the larger ones. I am afraid to do the equitation because I have higher chances of receiving a low score because the judge would not care for my body type. Now I know they shouldn't judge like that but I would like to point out that there are a handful of judges who overlook the ridder’s body type and judge the round based on the rider’s abilities. There will always be the “old” school stereotypical judges who choose to judge based on body preference. I'm only 17 years old yet, I felt that I am not welcome in this sport a few times. No one should ever feel that they are not welcomed. In particular, I remember one time I went to a tack shop and the coats were not fitting me. They were either too big or way too small. Even the largest size of women’s coat was small on me. I also tired of men size coats and they were too baggy and bulky on me. This started my desire to lose weight, the person who was helping kept making annoyed expressions and repeatedly said “no that coat would suit you with your size” It's important to not listen to everyone else and what they are saying. It may be difficult in this sport to get caught up in being a skinny girl doing the equitation. I do not think a lot of people realize how hard it actually is. As equestrians, we want to be as good as we can be but society makes us feel that we can not do the normal things.
Recently I heard about a girl who wanted to start a working student position but she was afraid that she would get rejected because she was too “big” to ride the horses. But in reality, she was not big at all. Later on in the article, the girl said that if she was accepted she was afraid of how others would accept her. Would she be accepted? When people have these thoughts it makes me sad, the fact that it scares them to go and do something that they love and could help them out in the future.
If we are all judging plus-sized riders then should we be judging those who are too skinny? Oh wait is that not right? Yea I know, they are in the same boat as plus-sized riders. Maybe they have tried to gain or lose weight and it did not work or maybe there is a real issue going on inside. We should not be judging anyone by how they look because this sport is our sport. So why do we not stand up together you may ask? Everyone is afraid of what others may think of them and it's annoying. People will express their thoughts about how money should not be a factor in this sport and should not be perceived as a bad thing if you are not wealthy yet want to be good at riding. I believe the quiet shaming and stereotypical people need to reflect on themselves and change their behavior. I recently saw a post about the sport and it looked something like this. “I looked down at my feet today as I usually do to switch from my torn and true Sperry’s into my boots. I just felt this power… one I have not felt before. No matter how much money you have, how nice the horse is, how nice your saddle is, how nice your clothes are when you take all that away; you're just an equestrian. Like the rest of us. You love horses, the sport, that “barn smell”. Remember this next time you quite literally hop on your high horse. WE’RE ALL THE SAME.” - Zoeyjo.Equestrian. We have to see that all of us are equestrians whether you’re skinny tall, bigger or short we are all the same at heart. I love this post because it showed what it could be and how self-inflicted everyone is within the industry.
Growing up at the barns I have been to that never made me feel out of place
Mallory, who is a plus-sized professional who is proud of herself because she can ride and train even due to her size. She also wrote “ But you are who you are. You can accept it and kick ass at what you can do, or you can sulk about it. I’d rather just carry on” Honestly, with her saying this she could make a difference in everyone.
I have only ridden at two barns and both barns have never made me feel out of place. I consider myself lucky for this, while a lot of plus-sized riders don’t get to enjoy that. I have been with trainers who do not make fun of how I look unlike George Morris the “god” of the sport. We all heard of George Morris being rude and telling riders to lose weight but is that acceptable? He’s told many to lost 20-40lbs and that they should eat less. This truly is not what the sport was supposed to be.
Mallory is also is known as nerd.dressage who showcases her life on Instagram. She made sure to put a “plus-sized” professional on her account to show that no one can beat her down. Herself, a professional struggles with self-image problems. “I have accepted that I am plus-sized and that I can also ride effectively with this body type. I have crash dieted, worked out to the point of being sick, and starved myself -- it never is sustainable and doesn't work. At this point, I am happy with who I am. I am fit, I am athletic, and I am able to train and ride horses and run my facility.” she wrote, as an empowering woman. Luckily for her, she has not received any rude comments in her local family but however online she has had issues. Unfortunately, it seems to stem from arguments and the person arguing with her uses the size to “win” the fight. It is crazy to think that social media has come to that were a lot of plus-sized women don’t want to post photos of themselves in fear of receiving hate.
While I was writing this piece I posted on my horse Instagram account story, asking for things people told them. It was truly saddening seeing the responses. There were many responses saying that they quit riding because they were too big or how hunter jumper riders need to be skinny and it’s not fair. One girl wrote “ I suffer from this and feel as though people sometimes judge my riding based solely on that, Also I can only ride one horse and people have said I crush him (he’s 15.3). It is. like they don’t understand and we get judged and criticized another girl wrote.
Luckily we are in the year 2020 and Facebook has groups for everything. There are groups for plus-sized riders and its been very helpful for me and many other people I know. There were a lot of responses regarding the groups and they were all very positive.
I applaud brands, companies, and stores that sell larger sizes, not all people know where to find great places to try to fit into something you cant fit. (The brands are linked for convenience.)
Kerrits has extended sizes that won't break the bank. I do love their breeches and their coats.
Dover Saddlery has a wide selection of breeches, tights, shirts, and coats
Riding Warehouse has a very wide selection of clothing items from schooling to show clothes to boots.
Griffinbrook has an amazing choice of show clothes for all or almost all disciplines.
Smart Pak also has a variety of clothing options.