Fan Mail: Kaylyn Arms

Here’s another Big Girl Cowgirl who often gets “THE LOOK” for riding her ponies whilst being plus size. Kaylyn’s vet seems to think everything is OK, so she rides on winning lots of ribbons (no doubt to shove in the faces of those who would question her size)

Hello,
My name is Kaylyn Arms. When you first look at me you wouldn’t think it but I weigh over 200 pounds then when I say I jump horses you’d think I’m nuts! I have herd everything about how cruel I am to my lanky, 15.2 hand Morgan horse for being so heavy and asking him to fly over a 3 foot fence with my weight attached to his back. Until someone first mentioned it to me I never thought about my weight causing any harm to my horses because quite honestly they have always done wonderfully at home and in the show pen with me. If you go by the whole size/weight ratio I am too big for any of my three horses (two of them are 14 hand barrel ponies). When I mentioned it to my vet because I had grown so over aware of it I was riding less he laughed and said to keep riding its good for all involved. I have since shown and won in both jumpers and barrel pens and I’ve never stopped riding my short little horses. I get weird looks everywhere I go because I’m bigger and ofcourse to make matters worse I love obviously gody tack (my new mare’s tack is all rainbow except the saddle). The looks used to bother me until I realized it doesn’t matter as long as my horses and I are happy and having fun life is perfect and I shouldn’t change a thing. I’m in college now and I’m graduating in the summer with a degree in law enforcement. I’d like to see those skinny girls on their big tall horses go run 5 miles then go riding afterwards! My horses and my struggles as a large rider have taught me many things but the most important thing is this: I am not here to impress anyone but myself and as long as I impress myself and surprise myself with my abilities then nothing else but my horses matter.

Ride on Kaylyn!

xoxo

~Lizzy