November 7, 2007
What Does Your Horse Weigh?
Knowing your horse’s weight can be valuable information. Research has shown that many horse owners often underestimate their horse’s weight by up to 25 percent.
The most critical time to know your horse’s weight is when you need to administer medication. Too much of a medication can harm your horse and too little may be ineffective, and possibility lead to drug resistance of the bacteria or parasite. Successful feeding programs are also typically based on the horses weight.
One method is to measure its heart girth and body length with a fabric measuring tape. The heart girth is the circumference of the horse’s body and should be measured approximately 4 inches behind its front legs. To measure body length, measure from the point of shoulder to the point of croup.
If you measure in inches:
Heart girth x heart girth x length, divided by 300, plus 50 equals your horses weight.
If you measure in centimeters:
Heart girth x heart girth x length divided by 11,877 equals your horses weight.
These methods are usually within 3 percent of what your horse would weigh on a scale.
Be sure to check your horse’s weight at least four times a year. This will keep both your medication and feeding program effective and on track.
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