How to Measure a Horse

Should you decide to buy or sell a horse, it's a good idea to know how to measure one. Measuring a horse isn't difficult, but converting the figures from inches to the more appropriate "hands" measurement can be a little tricky at first. Try it out a few times. With a little practice, you'll be able to make the conversion quickly and accurately.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Soft measuring tape

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.

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

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.

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.

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."

Tips & Warnings

• You can estimate a horse's height using the palm of your hand minus the fingers. The measurement 'Hand' derives from actual palm measurements.

• You can buy special measuring devices with hand conversions already on them if preferred.

• Don't confuse hand height decimal places with fractions; 14.3 hh means 14 hands, 3 inches not 14 and 3/10 hands.