I'll be 24 in August. Currently 330lbs, always have had a weight problem/have PCOS/IR...

I haven't been around a horse since my 4-H years...9 years ago when we had to rehome my mare. And I was okay with that; I got hugely into dogs...but lately been getting this fiery want to ride again. At my current weight, I know I'm too big, but maybe a few sizes down and I could? I'd love to be able to ride by my birthday, maybe once a week until it gets cold...then maybe by next year, lease a horse for the summer?

SO that's my mini-goal: To be able to ride!

Does anyone here ride/have horses?

I think that's a great goal. Something to keep you motivated! We all need something like that we live in wine country and I always see little deals for romantic wine tasting and horseback riding. Never would have considered it before, but its one of those motivators for me..

I agree with the above poster that is a good goal to keep you motivated. I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to sell my horse like you had to do with your mare. I'd let you get on my boy if you were closer I'd start calling around training barns near you and see what they have to offer and also see weight requirments for riders as I know quite a few places have both age and weight requirments for riding.

And as i've mentioned I have a horse, a 16.2hh Thoroughbred named Nick been riding all my life, started off western my first year, moved to hunter/jumper after that and competed for a while, 6 years ago my horse could no longer jump and now I'm back to western. He's the horse that's in my avatar

Hey I totally get you. For me I didn't stop riding because of my weight (that came later, lol) but because my parents couldn't afford it anymore and i had to sell my pony Then i piled on weight.
On the plus side you don't have to be super skinny to ride, at my stables there was a heavy girl with a big chunky irish draught and they could do mostly everything the slimmer girls on thoroughbreds could do, so there's always hope.
I'd love to get back into it someday, my favourite was show jumping

Thanks guys! I think I'll call around and see. We live kind of in the middle of nowhere, but...there -has- to be places. I'm gonna start searching and look around.

SoCalCowgirl: Your boy is beautiful -loves big horses- My mare was pretty small, around 14hh, but I rode a 17hh gelding at the place she was boarded at.

Fuct: Yeah, my dad sold Sephie because of money... They are expensive, but so worth it. And thanks for the hope! I've always wanted to jump but...I'm a little afraid of heights LOL My cousin jumped, but preferred dressage. I've always rode western. I loooved barrels and poles. Was in 4-H for two years and always had so much fun on contesting night