hi all this looks like a great place for me. I can ask all the dumb questions I want and no one will make me feel stupid I hope.

I do not own a horse as of yet. But back in the fall some freinds and I took a trip to the Mountains and went trail riding.That was it I have been bitten by the horse bug. I have loved them since I was a kid and since we live on a farm. See no reason not to buy one.

The only thing is I am 42 years old and overweight i weigh 200lbs. My question is should I lose weight before I start riding lessons or start lessons now? 

Thanks for the help

 Welcome to the forums AND to the wonderful world of horses

I would suggest starting lessons now - it will be a great incentive to lose weight & get fit   An instructor will be able to match you up with a horse suitable for your weight & ability.

And I sure hope that you don't think your age is any reason to hold back from riding - take a look at the 'Over 50' thread in General Discussions plus the brand new 'Over 50 Gang' forum just opened this week.

BTW - after a 25 year absence, I got back into horses at age 42 ---I'm now  a young 61 ---horses are good for the body & the soul, so go for it 

  Im no expert so if anyone would like to correct me on this feel free but i was told it depends on the horse. like me im not in the best shape but i have a big horse. my friend took her horse to an indoor arena before and her dad had asked if he was too big for the horse they had and the man said not if the horse doesnt think so.

<a href="http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg76/aahhee/?action=view&current=ImportedPhotos00038.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg76/aahhee/ImportedPhotos00038.jpg" border="0" alt="just horse n around"></a>

i am the blonde on the end (poor horse wished we would hurry up and take the picture so I would get off )

Thanks for ya'lls help I think I will call tomm  to set up lessons

Welcome!  And feel free to ask all the questions you want -- I've been a horsey nut all my life and I still learn new things here, so there is a great group of generous people to help you into the money-evaporating, oh, I mean horse-loving world, LOL!  

Never let age stop you -- and at your weight, you can certainly start lessons and you don't need enormous tall horses, just a stockier built horse with a shorter back and thicker leg to help carry the weight a little better than a narrow skinny thoroughbred or something like that.  As you learn to balance yourself better, you will find yourself having less impact on the horse too as you stop bouncing around and find your body control, so that is always an exciting progression.  And lessons are killer exercise too so if you've been wanting to get more fit, a good lesson program will definitely help with that too. 

I teach several women of around your age to ride - beginners and 'returners'. Many of them are carrying some extra weight. I don't know you in person so please do be aware that the advice below is based on a generalisation of the type of person that I personally teach so I do not mean to be offensive or hurtful.

I would say that would be fine to start riding as part of an overal 'fitness' plan but do be aware that if you are carrying extra weight you might find that your progress is a little slower than someone who is not. Basically the issue if you are carrying a bit of extra weight is that you do not always have control over it as it is not muscle. So if it moves around when you are riding (if you have a wobbly moment for example), you are much more likely to become seriously unbalanced. Hope that makes sense. I'm being very blunt here but I don't mean to be rude at all.   

So don't rush yourself as it is not pleasant to fall off once you are over the age of about 18! Stay within your comfort zone and do not allow over enthusiastic 20 somethings to persuade you to do anything you are not comfotable with. I say this as an over enthusiastic 20something year old instructor who has made this mistake in the past with adults beginners. i am very careful to allow people to progress at their own speed now.

 no offence taken I wanted you to be honest. Because I dont want to get hurt 

Thanks

Ang 

Welcome, welcome. Never feel like any question is too stupid to ask. Everyone trades info/advice here all the time. You'll learn a lot and and you'll always come away with a sense of community. That's pretty rare these days. Since I have less "horsey" experience than most others here, I'm not going to comment on your weight question. I'm just so glad that you've got the horse bug!  Are you riding English or Western?

Suzanne

Welcome to the forum! Yes, this is the one little place where you can put up something you don't really feel confident about.

If you have the motivation, I would start losing weight now before you start riding. Although, I will say that if you find an amazing trainer who will work with you, puts you on a safe horse that can easily hold your weight, and one who won't judge you by your weight, taking lessons now will help you to lose weight and be able to start learning to ride and take care of a horse at the same time. 

But I really reccomend taking lessons before you go out and get yourself a horse. Its one of the safest things you can do so that way you won't run into so much trouble when you get your first horse. 

I'm definitely not 42 yet (only 14) but i know plenty of people who are like you. You do not have to lose weight at all to start riding,as horses are very strong and can cary most anyone. As long as you are not unfit you should feel free to start riding. and frankly,if you are unfit,you can still begin riding,and just tell your instructor that you want to get fitter,and he/she should help you out! And,as most anyone who's ridden a while knows, you should be prepared that riding is VERY hard work,but you just have to dive in,meet new friends (horses and humans) and have lots of fun! i wish you luck!

I have noticed that the extra padding when bareback riding helps protect the horse's back...no hipbones to poke with!...at least Starlette does not protest, and she really lets me know when she is uncomfortable LOL!