Please Explain how horse MEASUREMENTS work?

Question

with the hands or something like that ----

Answer 1

a hand if 4 inches..............

Answer 2

1 hand = 4 inches

a 15 hand horse = 60 inches

.1= 1 inch

.2 =  2 inches (1/2 hand)

.3 = 3 inches

no such thing as .4-9 hands... weird how it is that way

equation from hands to inches.. (Hands x 4) + extra inches such as .1 ect

inches to hands.. (Inches divided by 4) + remainder = hands

pretty simple once you know it!

Answer 3

Amy S says it all for me. The horse's withers are the highest point on their back generally above their center or end of the shoulder (if looking at the horse on the right or left side depending on conformation). Basically the measurement came about by using a human hand with the first knuckle bent. That's about 4 inches. There are horse-specific measuring tapes that you place the horses hoof on one spot and pull the tape up to the horses withers. There are also like ruler sticks that have one long vertical stick and a horizontal stick and you place the vertical stick on the ground with the horizontal stick in the air. Then you place the horizontal stick at the height of the withers and read the measurement lines on the vertical stick.

Answer 4

1 hand=4 inches

You measure horses from their left front foot up to their withers (high point of the shoulder where the neck meets the back)

Answer 5

A horse is measured from the ground to the top of his withers. Every 4 inches in considered a hand (So every foot tall your horse is would be 3 hands) Here are step by step directions:

Step 1

Find the top of the withers. This is a small hump on the top of the horse, located below the mane just in front of where a saddle would sit. When looking at the horse from the side, the withers are directly in line with the front legs. Follow the legs straight up and you'll find the telltale hump.

Step 2

Use a measuring tape to find the number of inches from the top of the withers to the ground.

Step 3

Convert the measurement from inches to hands. One hand is equal to 4 inches, so you must divide the height in inches by 4. For example, if the horse measures 56 inches, divide by 4 and you get the correct measurement of 14 hands. If you divide by 4 and have inches remaining, proceed to Step 4.

Step 4

Calculate the hand measurement accurately. If the horse measures 61 inches, for example, divide by 4 and you'll get 15.25 as an answer. In horseman's terms, this equates to 15 hands, 2 inches. Always round the 1/2 inch measurements down. The correct way to write this number is 15.2 hh.

Step 5

Learn the language of the measurement. When spoken, it's acceptable to say either, "15 hands, 2 inches hand height," or simply "fifteen-two."

Answer 6

The best and most accurate way of finding and measuring the withers is to stand your horse up straight, then LOWER his head, that leaves the highest point of the shoulder being the withers.  You measure from there straight down to the ground...every 4" is a hand, so if your horse is 50", it is 12.2 or in other words, 12 Hands and 2 inches or 12 and 1/2 hands.

Answer 7

I think it's nice that you want to learn! :)  And 4 inches is about 1 hand.  But if you ever want to measure a horse the best way is to buy a measuring tape at a tack or feed store.  They have the ones that are made for horses and it's idiot proof.  It will even give a rough estimate of the weight of a horse.  Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Answer 8

it works by i hand is 4 inches and you need to be on a hard surface and measure up to the top of their withers

Answer 9

Yes, most people compare a horse as "14.3 hands high" for example, to how many human hands it takes to reach its' withers.

Hope I helped you :)

Answer 10

this is the second question i have answered for you. if you don't know these facts then you should not get a horse yet. read some books on it. if you really want horses. you should be experienced before you decide on getting any horse. mini, pony, horse, or draft. you should know what you are getting in to.

by the way it is measured in hands. 4 inches a hand.

Answer 11

A horse is measured in hands. A hand is 4 inches. You measure a horse from the ground (make sure the horse is standing on level ground) to the withers (tip of the shoulder). Ponies are under 14.3 hands, but once a horse hits 14.3, its a horse, not a pony. Hands go like this: 13, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 14, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 15, and so on. The smallest recorded pony was like 3.3 hands or something. Most small ponies are 6 - 10 hands, medium ponies are 10.1 - 13 hands, and 13.1 - 14.2 is a large pony. A small horse is 14.3 - 15.2, a medium horse is 15.3 - 16.2, a big horse is 16.3 - 17.2, and 17.3 and up is ginormous! Some people say their horse is 15.4 or 15.8 hands, but they are wrong and this is impossible since a hand goes up to 15.3 (or 16.3, etc.) The reason why people were asking about you getting a horse is because we have some pretty stupid people on here who think it's OK to buy a horse without knowing anything about it.