Equi-librium Inc. Weight Guidelines

At Equi-librium Therapeutic Horsemanship, safety is our primary concern. We must ensure the health and wellness of our participants, staff, and horses, as mandated by PATH Int’l, by following weight guidelines for mounted activities. We reserve the right to deny or dismiss horseback riding services to participants who do not meet the criteria within these guidelines.

At this time, we cannot accept riders over 200lbs without a full assessment. Equi-librium is unable to accommodate unbalanced and/or supported riders* over 150lbs. Clients participating in our hippotherapy program may not exceed 120lbs to enable the therapist the ability to incorporate position changes, dynamic stretches, and other manipulative treatment strategies. All riders will be screened and/or evaluated to ensure the safety of their participation in mounted activities or therapies. Factors to be considered included availability of horses, volunteers, and tack. Guidelines were developed using updated veterinary research and consultation, as well as information from the CDC and APTA.

*An unbalanced and/or supported rider may demonstrate one or more of the following:

Chronic leaning to one side
Unable to consistently sit astride a horse without support
Needs help supporting the upper body

Need physical assistance and lifting during mount or dismount, or emergency dismount, and is unable to consent to the risks of being unassisted during an emergency

Is easily left behind the horse’s movement

Generally speaking, a healthy horse in its prime is capable of carrying an able-bodied and balanced rider up to 20% of its body weight. Equi-librium utilizes a scale based on 15-17% of their body weights due to the nature of our program and age/current health of our horses.

Fitness and Weight Management Recommendations:

Any participant who does not meet the criteria to ride safely within the parameters set forth above will have an opportunity to discuss fitness and weight management plans with our Program Director and Certified Athletic Trainer, Christina Coxe. Recommendations may range from referral to a nutritionist, medical doctor, or endocrinologist to a personalized fitness and nutrition plan w/ guidance from a physician.