Hi there all!!

So I have some questions for you all about how you feel your body weight and strength/fitness level affect your riding.  So this year was my first year back in a while to barrel race and go to local and larger races.  I'm happy to be back out there but all year it seemed I just didn't feel confident and strong in my runs.  I need to lose about 35 to 40 pounds to be back where I feel most comfortable.  In my runs I just felt behind all the time.  Especially on second I felt behind on the backside everytime.  Almost like I couldn't get up and with my mare.  I don't really know how to describe it I just didn't feel strong and confident.  I've ridden my whole life and feel that I am a decent rider but this year I just never felt confident.  I don't know if any of you can identify with this but I felt like my boobs were always in the way.  I had to make sure I had a super good bra on to keep them in the upright and locked position.  In my runs they felt like they were in my way.  My thighs feel like they are flopping all over the place.  I just felt weird.  I never felt comfortable and confident in my clothes when we had to wear western dress.  I felt like my rolls were pouring out over my pants and whatnot.  

One of my questions is did/do any of you feel like you ride better when you are thinner and toned or does it make that much difference to you?  Did you feel like weight loss alone helped you the most or did following a fitness program and being strongher help you more?  

Do you think that weight does not affect your runs?  

yes i do  probably not going to be popular answer but i do.  but your riding your proactive give it time  what is important to u is all that counts.

go fr it emjoy have fun

I'm trying to get a horse finished that is really hard to ride. I finally got my act together and lost 30 pounds this summer and I can't even begin to tell you how much easier it is to ride and be ahead of him. Some riders can ride heavy, especially on some horses. But I sure couldn't. All you have to do is watch your videos and if the person riding doesn't look like you, you'll know. 

I ride better right now overweight than I did unhealthily skinny with zero strength that said I I absoultly know my current weight isnt helping and is the reason my back really hurts and I struggle to get really deep and sit my turny horse well. 

I'm working on it but it's been slow going. 

I believe my increase in weight and lack of athletic fitness has really hampered my horses performance. I ran early in the year at a couple of futurities. I was riding with an injured leg. My riding was not my normal but my horses didn't perform real bad. Mid spring I run at the next futurity my leg is still not 100% I had gained 30lbs in just 3.5 mo. due to lack of exercise. I could hardly stay with my colts. I recently injured my other leg and have to stay out of the gym for 6 weeks. I was feeling so good in the gym for just 3 weeks then this new injury occured. I can't wait to get back into shape. I enjoy riding fast and my horses are slow when I'm riding like cr@p. 

It definitely has an effect. I have struggled with my weight for years being anywhere from 30 to 50+ pounds overweight.  I consider myself "fit" fat (even thought I know it's not true).  I still have pretty good core strength and stamina and I still stay active.  But the extra weight effects my flexibility and my balance.  It also effects my horses, I know carrying the extra weight slows them up.  

I totally ride better and jockey better when I am down 30# and FIT! That being said... I've always ran 1D times... regardless of my size. But I feel better when i am strong and I am able to keep up with my horse and let them work. I have a personal trainer and I lift weights and even though I look "heavy" I am actually really fit and strong. I'd rather have muscle and strength then be a size 2 any day. I also unfortunatly do not have a smaller frame or body type, so its even more important I stay fit and strong and work out daily! Also EAT HEALTHY! It makes you FEEL GOOD mentally and physically! 

My actual weight doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I've been thirty pounds heavier and thirty pounds skinnier and didn't really notice much of a difference in my personal performance. My horses have been faster of course just from purely toting less weight.What makes the biggest difference for me is yoga. If I make it to the mat once a week, I'm better balanced and my seat is way more secure. I think it activates the muscles and reminds me subconsciously to use them. 

Years ago I was overweight, running in the 4D placings at best. Lost 70lbs and had a strong core to keep up with my horse & stay centered and he was running bottom of 2D. Gained 80+ back and now we're running 2-3 seconds off and I have to have chiro/massage done 3x as often bc his back is always sore. I have another one that is rough to ride & after gaining the weight it's even worse. Can't ride that one without taking some type of painkiller. Weight 100% affects your riding/performance in some way. 30lbs could be the difference of a check or 1 out of the money. Or for me slowing down 2 divisions. If the core strength is lacking, you'll get behind most of the time or off balance which isn't good in a run either. Core strength does wonders. 

I've got one now with potential to be greater than any I've had so far so I've been making the changes to get back to where I was before. I'm not trying to be rude about it, some people are ok with how they are and ride. But having seen the changes and how drastic they can be first hand, I've gained a whole new perspective. I also have one with KS and I cannot ride her at my current weight, it wouldn't be fair to her at all. I need to do what's best for us all & it should save me a lot of money on maintence for them too ;p 

I think that fitness level is going to play a huge part in this too, not just what the scale says. I'm only about 10-15llbs over my normal, BUT I'm SO out of shape. I have no core strength, and I get thrown around easily. It's really obnoxious bc just this time last year, I weighed the same but I didn't consider myself 10-15lbs plus my 'normal' bc I was in such great shape. I was solid and had a lot of core strength, lower body strength, etc. I was training for a half marathon and was eating great, felt great, etc.

I'd encourage anyone to aim to be fit first instead of a certain number on the scale. 

If you do not have core strength you cannot ride to the best of your ability and your balance will not be where it needs to be. That will affect a horse more than weight as I've know some "larger" people that can still ride balanced and the horse is not having to adjust for constant change of balance. That said, teeny tiny person can make those out of balance mistakes and it is not as noticeable to the horse. I think carrying extra weight is more of a time issue. It's obvious that little kids can usually outrun someone larger on the same horse.

Also, I don't think you have full confidence as a rider when you are not strong. This is from personal experience as my one mare is a cutting reject and can flat turn out from under me if I am not in time with her. Last winter I started a workout regimen (did not change my diet in any way), lost 20 pounds and this year I have done so much better on her because I know I have the balance and strength to stay with her going into and around the turns and she has less weight to carry as she is a shorter horse.

Yes, it makes a difference. Weight AND strength. The one thing I didn't expect to have to adjust so much was my balance/center of gravity after losing weight. I had gotten so used to balancing 35 lbs more of me that I had to kind of re-learn how to keep my smaller self balanced. But as others have said, a strong core is vital to being able to stay up and with one. 

I think when you lose the extra pounds, you are more confident in general. It would naturally translate to your riding.

I agree with those saying YES - body weight affects our sport.  Here is my 2 cents.

Some people are blessed to have "weight changes" that fluctuate 10-15 pounds.  Now that may not change a thing in your run.  But some of us less fortuante in the genetic department flucutate 50 pounds or more.  THAT makes a difference.  Saddles dont even fit like they should at that point!   You are uncomfortable in your skin, and your balance is affected a LOT.  Hell its even harder getting on the horse.

Strength is a big part of it too but for now Ill leave my opinion on weight alone.

Riders of all weight can do amazing things. That is not what I'm saying at all.   My point is that significant weight changes are going to change the runs you make.  

When I was starting back riding after having my kiddo, I traded my started mare for a finished gelding that needed legged up and brought back slowly. Well, that dang gelding still left me every barrel! I honestly thought he was crow hopping on this departures but I had my sister watch and he was just taking off hard and leaving me behind. 
I got back fit then slacked off again. I've got a gal I work with who holds me accountable now and I work out with her 4-5 days a week. Core, shoulders, and legs. I should be pretty buff if I could cut back the RedBull consumption 

I didn't notice it as much on my old mare but she was easy to ride, hustle to the pocket and she'd turn. 

I have a harder to ride free runner and a colt right now and I've really noticed I struggle, especially with the colt, being heavy. I rode the finished horse way better when I got him, 3 years ago, when I was stronger and weighed less. Now I'm getting jerked around and tipped back on my colt. It's not fair to them 

I've turned everything out for the winter and my goal is to lose some weight and get stronger. I think strength plays a bigger part in it then weight.

Plus I feel better without the extra weight, and I'll have a 5 year old and 2 year old in the mix to ride next summer, I need all the energy I can get.

I say 100% yes.  I have gained about 20lbs from this time year.  My clothes don't fit right, I have to concentrate on my riding more, and I dont have the same confidence that I had last year.

Your horse is an athlete and so are you. You will have better results if both of you were in your best of shape. I have to always watch what I eat and maintain a certain weight. I ride a smaller mare, so I have to watch my weight. I work out at home keeping up on my core strength, I lift hand weights for my arm strength, constantly trying to be the best I can. No excuses!!  I am 5'6 and stay around 128-130lbs...anything heavier and I feel guilty and unhappy. It's all about balance!!

Yes.

I lost 20lbs a couple of years ago and gained strength - huge difference.  Now my weight doesn't fluctuate much, about 10lbs depending on how clean I'm keeping my diet and what time of the month it is.

Last winter I became a gym rat and got buff.  Riding this spring I noticed a lot of little things - like I usually prefer a medium soft heel rope and suddenly I could swing a medium with a lot more control due to more shoulder strength.

Summer gets really busy and I don't usually make it to the gym.  It was 15-20min to get to the gym and then 15-20 back plus a 45-50min lifting session.  Later in the summer I defiantly realized that the strength I'd built up over the winter was fading, despite being on the go all the time.  

I canceled my membership and we bought a little weight bench and I'm slowly collecting resistance bands and free weights for my little corner of the garage.  The training program I follow recently released an "at home" version with minimal equipment.  I'm hoping that I can get back to my previous level of fitness and keep up with some quick workouts next summer to maintain.

We need to be athletes to ride athletes....

Yep, I ride much better and feel better when I'm fit and less fluffy! Yoga is where it's at for me. I can feel it in every part of my body, especially my core. I'm not talking church yoga,  I'm talking power, sweating,  grunting miserably, cussing yoga lol!