Heavy burden too much for trekking horses

A TREKKING centre on Dartmoor has been forced to close because the horses are struggling to carry the burden of overweight riders, the owners have revealed.

The centre at Babeny Farm, Poundsgate, Devon, will cease trading on Sept 2 after the owner decided it was not fair to place heavy riders on horses.

The announcement that it will halt its treks comes just two months after a British Equestrian Federation and World Horse Welfare study found that heavier riders impacted on a horse’s gait and behaviour.

It suggested that heavier riders should only mount a horse “of appropriate size and fitness”.

Dee Dee Wilkinson, the farm owner, said the decision to stop the trekking was partly due to an increase in heavier riders, as well as high insurance costs and other personal reasons.

“The horses are at an age where they need replacing and getting those good replacements can be difficult,” she said. “We are finding increasingly that people are getting heavier, so we are unable to let them ride as it isn’t fair on the horses.”

The farm, which has been in business for 35 years, has a rider weight limit of 16st.