Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Measuring

Although many people lump horses and ponies together, they are actually different.  A horse is over 14.2 hands tall or 58".  A pony is under 14.2 hands.

A hand is a term that horsemen use that equals 4 inches. An equine is measured at the withers.  The withers is the small lump on the base of the neck. You need to measure from that hump to the ground using a measuring tape and mark the number of inches.  If you divide that number by 4, you will have the number of hands your equine is.

Example: If an equine is 61", he is 15.25 hands. Correct terms for a horseman is 15.2 hands. This measurement makes him a horse.

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