For many people, renting a horse for a trail ride once a year, or once in a lifetime, is the only way they’ll ever get on the back of a horse and out on an open trail.
In recent years, ranches have found they have had to add bigger horses to their stables to help carry larger tourists over the rugged terrain of a wilderness trail. Many ranches have added draft horses to their string to make sure everyone who wants to ride, can ride, no matter how much they weigh.
T. James “Doc” Humphrey
“Even though a person might be overweight, or, you know, heavier than the average American, it’s kind of nice we can provide a situation where they can ride with their family,” said wrangler T. James “Doc” Humphrey.
Humphrey’s 10-gallon hat, goatee, vest and spurs are a tourist favourite at Sombrero Ranches, east of Rocky Mountain National Park, where they have 20 draft horses, including Belgians and Percherons, and 25 draft horses mixes.
1. How many of these bigger draft horses do they have all together?
Ranch operators say they began adding the bigger horses in the 1990s, but the pace has picked up in recent years. Why? Over the last 20 years, obesity has increased to more than a third of adults and about 17 percent of children age 2 to 19, according to federal statistics.
Draft horses fell out of favour as tractors and other machines took over pulling farm equipment in the mid-20th century, said Elaine Beardsley of the Ohio-based Percheron Horse Association of America. By 1953, the number of registered Percherons reached a low of 86. Today, there are 1,000.
Sombrero Ranch horses
2. How many more Percherons are registered today than in 1953?
3. How many years did it take their numbers to increase to what they are today?
The bigger horses have allowed outfitters to get rid of weight limits.
“I felt bad about telling people they’re too big to ride,” said Russ Little of Dry Ridge Outfitters, which offers rides at Harriman State Park in Idaho. Eight of the 45 horses he has are part Percherons. He said a 225-pound weight limit these days would cost him $6,000 a season.
4. What percentage of Russ Little’s horses are part Percheron? Round your answer to the nearest ones.
5. In 5 seasons, how much money would Russ miss out on if he had to continue with his weight limit?
At Chico Hot Springs in Montana, Heidi Saile of Rockin’ HK Outfitters said she and her husband, Kipp, removed the stable’s 225-pound limit last year when they took over from different outfitters. She said the limit would cost her $4,000 in lost revenue.
6. In five years, how much money would Heidi and Kipp miss out on if they continued with the 225-pound weight limit?
Wranglers at Sombrero Ranch preparing for a steak dinner ride with 105 people.
“Little horses just aren’t sturdy enough to hold up in a dude operation in the Rocky Mountains,” Kipp Saile said, noting that about 15 of their 60 horses were Percheron mixes, the largest weighing 1,800 pounds.
7. What percentage of their horses are Percheron mixes?
The heaviest rider Sombrero’s general manager Bryan “Kansas” Seck ever put on a horse was 399 pounds.
8. How much heavier was this person than the previous weight limit of 225-pounds?
“As long as you can get on a horse, you can ride,” he said.
Another rider, who weighed 240 pounds, rode 1,800-pound Bam Bam, a brown Belgian draft horse with furry legs and a size 5 horseshoes — the smaller, traditional quarter-horses of about 1,000 pounds wear a 0 to 1. They rode up the trails dotted with elk, deer and chipmunks and breathtaking views of Longs Peak.
Horses can comfortably carry 15 to 20% of their body weight. They can carry up to 30% of their body weight but at that point it becomes a strain.
Don’t worry, they still have horses for every size rider!
9. An average sized horse is 1000 pounds (450 kg). How heavy a rider could an average sized horse carry? Calculate your answer both in pounds and kilograms. (Assume 20% of the horse’s weight).
10. Calculate 20% of Bam Bam’s weight to find out the heaviest rider he could comfortably carry.
These ranches prefer Percheron draft horses because of their easygoing dispositions. However, larger horses are more expensive. They eat more, require larger doses of medications and at about $150, cost twice as much to put horseshoes on.
11. About how much would it cost to put horseshoes on an average size horse?
Russ Little explains another benefit to having draft horse breeds. Regular-sized riding horses get seven months off after the tourist season. Percheron mixes can work most of the year, carrying elk and moose hunters into the backcountry in the fall and pulling wagons with tourists in the winter.
“You just feel better about having a big person on a big horse,” Little said.
Those looking for an adventure can sign up for the annual Sombrero horse drive. A tradition for over 40 years, the drive travels more than 60 miles across Northwest Colorado as riders get to live the cowboy life herding the ranch’s 500 horses from their wintering grounds to the ranch 11 miles west of Craig. Check out the video showing the drive as the horses and riders passed through the town of Maybell, Colorado. See if you can pick out the bigger draft horse breeds as the horses trot through town.
Click here if you are interested in finding out more about how much weight a horse can carry.
1. How many of these bigger draft horses do they have all together?
Answer: 20 + 25 = 45. They have 45 draft horses all together.
2. How many more Percherons are registered today than in 1953?
Answer: 1,000 – 86 = 914. There are 914 more registered Percherons in the U.S. today than in 1953.
3. How many years did it take their numbers to increase to what they are today?
Answer: 2014 – 1953 = 61. It took 61 years.
4. What percentage of Russ Little’s horses are part Percheron? Round your answer to the nearest ones.
Answer: 8/45 x 100% = 0.1777 x 100% = 17.7% = 18%. 18% of Russ’s horses are part Percherons.
5. In 5 seasons, how much money would Russ miss out on if he had to continue with his weight limit?
Answer: 5 x $6,000 = $30,000. Russ would miss out on $30,000.
6. In five years, how much money would Heidi and Kipp miss out on if they continued with the 225-pound weight limit?
Answer: 5 x $4,000 = $20,000. Heidi and Kipp would miss out on $20,000.
7. What percentage of their horses are Percheron mixes?
Answer: 15/60 x 100% = 25%. 25% of their horses are Percheron mixes.
8. How much heavier was this person than the previous weight limit of 225-pounds?
Answer: 399 – 225 = 174. The person was 174 pounds heavier than the previous weight limit.
9. An average sized horse is 1000 pounds (450 kg). How heavy a rider could an average sized horse carry? Calculate your answer both in pounds and kilograms. (Assume 20% of the horse’s weight).
Answer:
Imperial: 1000 x 20% = 100 x .20 = 200. A 1000 pound horse could comfortably carry a person weighing as much as 200 pounds.
Metric: 450 x 20% = 450 x .20 = 90. A 450 kg horse could comfortably carry a person weighing as much as 90 kg.
10. Calculate 20% of Bam Bam’s weight to find out the heaviest rider he could comfortably carry.
Answer: 1800 x .20 = 360. Bam Bam could comfortably carry a person weighing 360 pounds!
11. About how much would it cost to put horseshoes on an average size horse?
Answer: 150 ÷ 2 = 75. It would cost about $75 to shoe an average size horse.
Common Core:
3.OA.D – Solve problems involving the four operations
4.OA.A.2 – Divide larger numbers by 1-digit numbers: word problems
4.MD.A.2 – Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money
6.RP.A.3c – Percents of numbers: word problems
Photos:
Courtesy of Sombrero Ranch: Facebook page and website
