Handy Facts: The Why's and How's of Measuring Horses in Hands

Horse height is measured different than humans. Measuring them correct and precise is important for a variaty of reasons.

Horses and hands do not sound like words that should go together because everyone knows horses in fact don't have hands. Then why do these words go hand and hand (pun intended)? 

Well it is how horses are measured. 

One hand is equivalent to four inches.

When it comes to measuring the horse itself, it needs to be standing square, on level ground. 

Now to find the height of the horse you would have to measure from the ground, next to their front hoof, all the up to withers. The withers are where the neck and back meet, in between the shoulder blades. 

Horses are not measured from their head to toes like people (well head to hooves).

Once the height is measured in inches it can then be converted to hands. For example, a horse that is 60 inches tall is 15 hands high, 62 inches is 15.2, 63 inches is 15.3, etc. Easy enough right? 

There is a common mistake made even among equestrians when it comes to converting inches to hands, there will never be a measurement that is 14.4, 15.6 etc. Since a hand is four inches, after 63 inches/15.3 hands it will jump to the next whole number and be 16 hands at 64 inches. 

It is important to know how to properly measure a horse for many reasons but the most significant would be if you are shopping around for a pony for your child you would probably be looking for one around 12-13 hands high. If you didn’t know any better someone might sell you a 17 hand tall ex-racehorse and you would also be purchasing a step stool. 

So horses do have hands after all, just not how you thought, some have 12 hands all the way up to the tallest horse ever recorded at over 21 hands!