A Guide to your Horses Weight
When going to view a horse for sale it is important to check that they are a healthy weight. A combination of good health care, suitable exercise and the right diet means that your horse should have a healthy body weight.
It is also important to think about your horses’ weight in relation to the tonnage of the lorry you are driving or car and trailer that you are planning to put the horse in. The most accurate way to obtain your horses weight is by weighing them on a weighbridge or alternatively you are use a weigh-tape.
The weigh tape is measured around the horse’s girth, where a roller would be fitted, from the highest point of the wither to just behind the elbow.
You can also use a tape measure to work out the weight of a horse by measuring the horse around the middle and the length. The length of the horse is measured from the point of the shoulder in a straight line to the point of buttock. The calculation to work out a horses weight is:-
(heartgirth x heathgirth) x body length ÷ by 330 = the weight of the horse in pounds ltd. (Divide by 2.2 to get the weight in kilograms)
Horse weight table in Kilograms
| Height
in hands |
Pony | Cob | Thoroughbred
Lightweight |
Sports Horse
MiddleWeight |
Draught
Heavyweight |
| 10 | 170-200 | ||||
| 11 | 200-240 | ||||
| 12 | 230-260 | ||||
| 12.2 | 250-310 | ||||
| 13 | 250-340 | ||||
| 13.2 | 280-380 | ||||
| 14 | 320-380 | 360-450 | |||
| 14.2 | 350-400 | 380-480 | |||
| 15 | 470-530 | 400-470 | 450-500 | ||
| 15.2 | 500-580 | 440-500 | 470-520 | ||
| 16 | 480-560 | 480-630 | 630-680 | ||
| 16.2 | 520-590 | 590-650 | 650-720 |
These three different ways of calculating a horses weight will provide you with a measurement, however it will not confirm if that weight accurately reflects the horses condition and health. You need to combine the weight information with the horse’s body / condition score.