How can I assess the weight if a horse if a weight tape won't fit ?

Question

Weighbridge is not an option before anyone suggests it.

He's big and currently has something of a grass belly but is not huge ( ribs are there okay !)

He just has a very deep girth.

Any suggestions ?

Answer 1

get 4 bathroom scales and put them under his hooves.

Answer 2

http://white_arabian.tripod.com/general....

The web site suggests using the tape, but what I would do it the tape does not go all the way, just use it again where you left off and add the 2 figures together.

Answer 3

Get a bigger tape! There are bigger tapes out there. How big is this horse?

Answer 4

Someone had a calculator on a previous question.  You just put in the horse's length and girth in inches and it did the rest.  So use a string to find the girth and measure it (you can mark where the length of the girth is).

I just found the calculator

http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/hor...

Their is really no reason the calculator would be less effective than a weight tape.  The truth is the weight tape simply uses a calculator to figure weight.  However if length is not taken into consideration you will get a false reading if your horse is abnormally long or short.

The weigh bridge called truck scales here where I am from can be found at virtually any grain mill or livestock auction and can often be used for a fee.

One more thing I have seen calculators that only use girth and are too simple.  They add a certain number of pound for every inch of girth (30 to 40 lbs per inch) after the starting point of a certain weight and a certain girth.  This works fine for horses in the medium range but terrible for really big and really small horses.  Adding an inch of girth to a large horse will add more weight than adding an inch to the girth of a mini because you are adding size and weight over a larger area.  This may be why the results sometimes are disappointing.

Answer 5

wow havent herd of that before... i have never owned a horse so do they have bigger tape you can buy? or ask the vet to come do it. sorry i couldnt be too much of a help...

Answer 6

Someone suggested using the calculator, I have used this before and found it less than effective really. You have two options really;

1) Get a thinner horse

2) Get a bigger weigh tape

I can't help but thinking that 2 will be easier, lol. If you absolutely cannot get a weigh tape big enough, then do what someone said about adding the two together. Be aware though that you may get a false reading if your horse is particularly deep girthed. This may help - http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/HorseWeig...

Nothing is as effective as a weigh bridge and I know you said it's not an option but I'd just like to add it incase anyone is wondering about ways to weigh their horse. You can use a public weighbridge if you have a lorry etc. Just weigh the lorry empty, then put the horse in and weigh it again. Subtract figure 1 from figure 2 and you have the weight of the horse. Some colleges/big equestrian yards have a horse weigh bridge, you may be able to hire it or take your horse to it weigh him. These are easy, you just stand the horse on it.

Good luck!