A plus-size TikTok star created a stir online after her complaint post went viral. She called out a ranch for not allowing her to ride their horses because she “weighed too much” at over 240 pounds. How much is too heavy to ride?
TikTok star told she “weighed too much” to ride horses at ranch
TikTok star Remi Bader, who has more than 2 million followers thanks to her fashion videos, posted a now-viral TikTok in which she complained that a ranch would not allow her to ride their horses and made her “leave because I weigh over 240” pounds, the Daily Wire reported.
“I’ve rode horses before and have never had this issue,” Bader argued.
She stated that the ranch should advertise weight restrictions. Bader clarified that the ranch had no signs and that the website never made any weight restriction clear, Unilad reported.
How much weight can a horse carry?
However, the website for Deep Hollow Ranch, which is located in Montauk, New York, does have a post entitled “How Much Weight Can A Horse Carry? (Weight Limit To Ride)” explaining that a horse can carry a person up to 15% of the horse’s body weight, not including the saddle and other gear. There is also a list of options for “The Best Horse Breeds For Plus-Sized Riders.”
The Daily Mail, which also reported on this story, posted a chart showing the weight limits a horse can carry based on its own weight. At a 15% weight carrying capacity, Bader’s estimated weight would require a horse that weighed 1,700 pounds or more. If she weighed exactly 240 pounds, she would require a 1,600-pound horse.
Most typical horse breeds (Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Arabian) fall under 1,200 pounds. Bader would have required a draft horse or a Clydesdale–one of the larger breeds–and many stables do not have these breeds available. Photos on the main website of the ranch do not show a single photo of a large breed.
Putting the animal’s welfare first
While many of Bader’s online followers took to her defense, many critics said the TikTok influencer was only thinking of herself first and not of the welfare of the animals.
“I posted for a reason and that’s not because of me being denied to ride the horses,” Bader later wrote in an Instagram story, NBC reported. “I get it, some places have weight requirements and I’d never want to hurt the horses, but it was the way I was spoken [to] and laughed at by the owner and the way I was treated overall.”
Teenager makes derogatory post
Later, some credence was lent to Bader’s claims when a teenage employee of the ranch made a derogatory post about her.
“When you’re not a fat b—- you can ride at Deep Hollow Ranch,” posted TikTok user @Broudy.Keogh, who was later identified as the ranch owner’s son.
“Imagine this being deep hollow ranch’s response to your experience,” Bader responded.
Deep Hollow Ranch responded on Facebook by writing: “A teenage employee posted a response that in no way represents nor is aligned with the views that the owners of the ranch hold. We would like to apologize to anyone who this offended and we do not condone or agree with any part of that employee’s video.”
