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11 Ways You Can Measure Horse Weight + Average Weights by Breed & Height

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It’s not easy to accurately measure a horse’s weight – after all, they’re much too big to throw on a bathroom scale! However, keeping track of your horse’s weight is an important part of keeping him healthy and happy.

Here are 11 different ways that you can measure your horse’s body weight, with varying degrees of accuracy.

The quickest, though not most accurate, way for most horse owners to do this is to use a horse weight tape (like this one ).

a scale to weigh animals

Scales

The most accurate way to find your horse’s weight is by weighing him on a scale. But most home scales are built for humans, who don’t weigh nearly as much! Luckily, there are several ways to find a scale large enough, depending on the resources that you have available to you.

Livestock Scale

Many large animal veterinary clinics have livestock scales in-house that you can use to weigh your horse. However, there may be costs associated with this method, and it’s not necessary if you are only looking for a general estimate.

If you find yourself needing to weigh your horse (or many horses) accurately more often, you may consider investing in a livestock scale of your own.

Truck Scale

If your community has a truck stop with a weigh station, it may be possible to use it to weigh your horse.

  • Weigh your trailer empty first to determine the tare weight.
  • Then, load your horse and weigh again.
  • Subtract the tare weight from the loaded weight and voila! You’re left with your horse’s weight.

Just make sure that if you have a helper to hold your horse, you don’t accidentally weigh them too!

Note: It’s generally safer to load and unload your horse at home and not at a busy truck stop. Use good horse sense if you choose this method. Also, this method may not achieve the most accurate results, as these large scales are often designed to weigh very heavy loads. (source)

Industrial scales

Industrial Scale

If you don’t have access to a good truck scale at a weigh station, there may be other companies in your community that use large industrial scales.

If you ask around and you’re willing to pay a small fee, you could get lucky. Consider industrial weigh stations, granaries, garbage facilities, nurseries, livestock feed lots, construction companies, shipping companies, or places that sell building materials.

Measuring Tape

Before the days of handy online weight calculators, equestrians had to use a plain old measuring tape and a little math.  

To calculate your horse’s weight, find the following measurements:

  1. Heart girth. Measure your horse around his barrel at the widest part. This is usually where the cinch or girth rests. Pull the tape snugly against his skin, but not too tight, and wait for him to exhale.
  2. Body length. Measure your horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks. The angle of your tape may not be parallel to the ground, depending on your horse’s conformation.  
measuring tape

Plug your numbers into the following formula (metric or standard) to estimate your horse’s weight:

For measuring weight in adult horses:

  Weight (kg) = [(girth measurement in cm)2 x (length measurement in cm)] ÷ 11,900

 Weight (lbs) = [(girth measurement in in) x (girth measurement in in) x (body length in in) / 300]

For measuring weight of foals younger than 2 months old:

  Weight (kg) = [girth measurement in inches – 25] ÷ 0.07

As an example, let’s say your adult horse has the following measurements:

  • Heart Girth : 70” (178 cm)
  • Body Length: 68” (173 cm)

The equation would look like this:

[(70 x 70 x 68) / 330] = 1,009 lbs

[( 1782 x 173) / 11,900 ] = 461 kg

So, a horse with a heart girth of 70” (178 cm) and a body length of 68” (173 cm) would weigh around 1,000 pounds (or 460 kg).

If you’re not quite sure where you should be measuring your horse, there are many diagrams and videos available on YouTube to help.

Some things to remember:

  • Horses with high or pointy withers may have inaccurate heart girth measurements.
  • Measure your horse consistently at the same time – such as two hours after eating and drinking.
  • The weight equation may need to be adjusted based on age (source).
    • Adult Horse Weight (lbs) = [ (girth x girth x body length) / 300]
    • Yearling Horse Weight (lbs) = [ (girth x girth x body length) / 301]
    • Weanling Horse Weight (lbs) = [ (girth x girth x body length) / 280]

Online Weight Calculators

Thankfully, we now have access to hundreds of different online calculators that can handle these equations easily.

Simply enter your horse’s heart girth and body length measurements into the calculator of your choice and voila! Your horse’s estimated weight will pop right up in seconds, no math necessary. (source)

Weight Measuring Tape

Sale
Horse & Pony Height & Weight Tape
  • Accurately estimates weight of all horses up to 1398 pounds and measures Height up to 20 hands
  • Accurate and easy to use
  • Also serves as a quick efficient daily conditioning guide

If your horse is an average size with relatively low withers, you can use a weight tape to find his estimated weight. I like this one , but there are many brands available.

Hold the end of the tape at the “0” point at his withers, and pull it snugly around his barrel (not too tight!). Wait for him to full exhale, and then read the measurement on the tape.

Weight tapes are widely available and inexpensive, but it’s important to take consistent measurements to track any changes.

Weight Charts

You can also quickly estimate a horse’s weight by only measuring his girth length. Here is a handy reference table:

Girth Length Weight
(inches)(cm)(lbs)(kg)
30.07610045.5
40.010220091.0
45.5116300136.5
50.5128400182.0
55.0140500227.0
58.5148600273.0
61.5156700318.0
64.5164800364.0
67.5171900409.0
70.51781000455.0
 73.01851100500.0
75.51921200545.0
77.51971300591.0
(source)

If your horse has an exceptionally long or short body, you’re probably going to want to find a more accurate method. Charts like these are handy in a pinch when you just need to get a quick measurement.

Body Condition Scoring System

Horses in the pasture
The horse on the left of this stokc image would have a very low Henneke Body Condition Score.

If you want to become a better equestrian, familiarizing yourself with a body condition scoring system can be useful for estimating your horse’s weight, as well as monitoring your horse’s health.

The Henneke horse body condition scoring system measures the amount of fat deposits on your horse’s body, and your horse receives a score from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (extremely fat).

Knowing your horse’s body weight score can help you determine his body weight, and track any changes over time. (source)

Nomograms

A nomogram is a different sort of chart can give you an estimate of your horse’s weight. However, you will need to know your horse’s height and be able to accurately give assign a body condition score in order to use it.

Here is an example of a weight nomogram:

Drawing a line from the two points (the horse’s body condition score and height) will give you an estimated weight measurement.

Average Horse Weight by Breed

Ever wondered how much a horse weighs just by looking at him? If you’re fairly familiar with horse breeds, here are the average weight ranges for some specific horse and pony breeds.

You’d need to take a more accurate measurement just to be sure, but this can be handy information if you’re searching for your next equestrian partner.

BreedAverage Weight
Andalusian1200 – 1300 lbs
Arabian900 – 1200 lbs
Appaloosa1000 – 1300 lbs
Belgian1800 – 2200 lbs
Clydesdale1600 – 1800 lbs
Dutch Warmblood1200 – 1300 lbs
Hanoverian1200 – 1400 lbs
Morgan900 – 1200 lbs
Percheron1800 – 2100 lbs
Quarter Horse1000 – 1300 lbs
Saddlebred1000 – 1200 lbs
Shire1700 – 2700 lbs
Mustang800 – 1000 lbs
Standardbred1200 lbs
Tennessee Walking Horse900 – 1400 lbs
Thoroughbred1000 – 1300 lbs
Welsh Cob1000 – 1300 lbs
Shetland Pony300 – 600 lbs
Miniature Horse200 – 500 lbs
Welsh Pony400 – 800 lbs
Norwegian Fjord1200 – 1400 lbs
Haflinger1200 – 1300 lbs
Icelandic700 – 900 lbs

If your horse falls below the average weight range, discover effective strategies to support your horse in achieving healthy weight gain.

Average Horse Weight by Height

This is probably the least accurate way to measure a horse’s weight, but it can be handy if you’re horse shopping and you have a working knowledge of different horse breeds.

Tall horse trotting at the flower field

In general, tall horses are heavier than shorter horses, and draft breeds are heavier than light riding horse breeds.

Here are some common weight ranges for various horse and pony heights, with examples of lighter and heavier individuals.

HeightAverage Weight
9 hands400 – 500 lbs
10 hands530 – 600 lbs
11 hands440 – 600 lbs, 660 – 700 lbs
12 hands500 – 680 lbs, 700 – 800 lbs
13 hands640 – 840 lbs, 700 – 800 lbs, 800 – 860 lbs
14 hands790 – 1200 lbs, 900 – 1200 lbs
15 hands880 – 1200 lbs
16 hands1000 – 1200 lbs, 1100 – 1400 lbs
17+ hands1400 – 1750 lbs, 1500 – 2,200 lbs

Remember, all horses are built differently, so this will only give you a general idea as to how much your horse weighs. Taking a weight measurement consistently over time can help alert you to any changes in your horse’s health, as long as you are consistent with the measurement method. As always, consult your veterinarian if you’re still unsure.

Resources

  • https://www.petssupermart.com/gb/horses-care/necessary-extras/equilife-weightape-estimates-the-weight-of-your-horse-or-pony/art_c58_a453
  • https://equi-analytical.com/weight-and-height-ranges-for-common-breeds/