I always thought my 50 kilos would break the horse's back :D

Still I am curious to see how much weight can a horse carry on his back and not be uncomfortable?

It depends on the horse and the breed. Draft horses carried knights and all their armor and weight without much issue. However a shetland pony would probably break with that kind of weight. Conformation also plays a part, if a horse has a longer back it will be less able to carry weight safely. A horse (14.2 hands+) can normally carry an average sized adult. Adults weighing closer to 200pounds would most likely be better off on a larger horse or draft/draft cross.

Another question is about the horses pulling a cart in groups of 4 or in pairs. Is the weight equally distributed to all horses or the stronger horses go infront for they pull much stronger?

I am really concerned about this too, as I weigh 220! With purchasing a new friend for our family, I too wish to be able to ride! And as my girls grow, I'd like for them to be able to continue their riding...however I know that as they grow up and go off to college it will be me doing the daily exercising and riding. So, this is a huge concern for us as well! Can you give me some examples of larger breeds other than drafts that might be suitable?

Maximum weight will depend on the horse, but I'll tell you what I know.

The minimum weight a thoroughbred is allowed to carry when racing is around 50 kg, and the maximum is aroudn 60kg. That's at a full sprint for two miles (3.2km).

If you imagine how much weight you can carry when you're sprinting compared to when you're jogging, you'll realise that 50kg is nothing to your average horse.

A rough guide would be somewhere between 20% and 30% of the horse's weight, depending on how hard the ride will be and its fitness. Obviously an obsese horse that weighs 600kg wil be able to carry less than a fit horse that weight 600kg.

Following that, the average thoroughbred (weighting 500kg) could carry 100-150kg without too much stress.

Don't forget though that the horse is carrying the saddle too.

Thanks, Buckskin, that helps an awful lot!!! I've been really concerned about this one!!! And there really IS so much to think about when looking at adding a new friend & companion to the family!!!!

This is something else that I had oddly not considered even when I gained weight. I gained weight when I got into a tougher job and had to stop riding so often. I didn't reach 100kg, but all the same I am a little upset with myself that I never considered her.