Anyone else's yard have a 'special' measuring stick??

minesadouble

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Because it appears mine has!! We have a livery whose horse needs one of our bigger stables because 'he is over 17hh', ermm he's actually smaller than our genuine 16.1 .....!
Another livery once asked me how big my mare was, when I answered 15.1 (which the mare in question most definitely is, WITH shoes on) she informed me she couldn't possibly be 15.1 as she was bigger than her horse who is 16.2!!! I mean really??? What is going on?
I really hope no one else has a 'special' measuring device for their horse as I absolutely dread looking for a new horse, am I to turn up at a yard to view a 16.2 only to find a 12 hander peering over the door?

Maybe we should have a livery price increase incremental on the height of the horse, either we'd be quids in or we'd have a few amazing shrinking horses ;)
 

Meowy Catkin

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Heights do seem to be guessed at rather than measured sometimes. I've seen quite a few horses that are definitely at least a hand different from the height they were supposed to be. Take a stick with you when you go horse shopping if having a specific height is important to you. :)
 

Auslander

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Reminds me - I really must measure my guys. They are both 17.1hh apparently...

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Merlod

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A woman with a cob on our yard says he's 16.3, I just smile and nod :) I had my measuring stick out for my shetland one day and she asked me to stick her cob, I measured him at 15.2 spot on (this stick has a spirit level and everything). She then proceeded to 'have a go' and by fluffing up the hair on his withers declared him just over 16hh..
 

conniegirl

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People just don't have an eye for height. My lad is 15.2hh with shoes on but everyone seems to think he is far bigger, the next door neighbour commented to my YO that the new coloured (only been on yard for about 4 weeks) was beautiful but goodness wasn't he big!
She would not believe he was only 15.2hh
 

miss_c

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Everyone on my yard says I'm wrong when I say that Genie is only 15hh with shoes... I got out my stick with spirit level and showed them and they then said that the stick must be wrong!
 

Christmas Crumpet

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I have to confess to being slightly surprised when I went to view a 15.1hh (which he has been measured at and its correct) and he was considerably bigger than I thought he would be!! I think people's ideas on what size their horses can be way, way out!!! I was lent a horse once (well a pony but I was told it was a horse) and it turned up and walked out of the trailer and I thought it was the wrong animal. I was told it was 15.3hh. The mare couldn't have been more than 14.2hh at most!!!
 

Meowy Catkin

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This is true, an eye for height isn't possessed by some people. I tend to judge them against me. I know that if I'm wearing my riding boots, a 15hh will have the top of their withers at my nose and a 16hh will be nearly up to the top of my head (I am 16.1hh in my riding boots ;)). If the '15hh' only reaches my chin, or a '17hh' is about the same height as me then something is definitely wrong...

For anything taller or shorter than that I would have to get a stick out.
 

rowan666

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"special" measuring sticks are really common, my mare was advertised as 14.1, shes actually 13.2 (i almost didnt view her because she was bigger than i was looking for, i was so relieved when i arrived to see a pony that ticked every box afterall!) my old fella's previous owner insisted he was 16.3, hes 15.2 just! my anglo as 2yr old was advertised as 14.3, he was 13.3, my luso was advertised as 15.3 and she was 15 so maybe its these "special" sticks that are right and ours are wrong?! ;)
 

Hoof_Prints

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Reminds me of when I went to a show with a friend on her horse, she'd had him a while but not competed yet and she'd bragged about him being 17.2hh for years (I don't know why, I'd hate to have a 17.2 personally!) unloaded him and stood him next to my 15.2 1/2 accurately measured horse and he was pretty much the exact same height, probably a little taller. First thing she asked was how big my horse was, think she had some kind of height obsession ;) she told me there was no way he was 15.2 and I'd been lied to by the seller! I reminded her that I had my own measuring stick and in actual fact, I bought him as a 15.1hh who measured at only 14.3hh and has now grown to nearly 15.3 with shoes off.
Went to view a 14.2hh once, it was obviously only about 13.2hh.
 

Hawks27

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My new livery thinks my paint horse is huge and easily 16hh like her TB's she's recently sold, hes a big 15'1 :)
She adores her new coblet who she insists is a grand 14'3, hmmmm its actually 13'2, thankfully shes a petite lady so isn't doing these tiny horses and ponies any harm but does make me giggle. especially as my horse is the only horse on a yard of ponies and I think of him as a small horse at 15'1 but everyone thinks he's huge lol
 

Pippity

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This is true, an eye for height isn't possessed by some people. I tend to judge them against me. I know that if I'm wearing my riding boots, a 15hh will have the top of their withers at my nose and a 16hh will be nearly up to the top of my head (I am 16.1hh in my riding boots ;)). If the '15hh' only reaches my chin, or a '17hh' is about the same height as me then something is definitely wrong...

For anything taller or shorter than that I would have to get a stick out.

I'm a smidge under 15.2hh with boots on, so use that as my guide. When I was having lessons at a riding school, one instructor insisted the horse I was riding was 15.2hh. His withers barely came up to my nose.

When it comes to anything with withers above my eye level, I tend to just class as 'BIG'.
 

9tails

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Mine is definitely 16.1, the number of little horses that turn up on our yard that are apparently 16.2 plus but are considerably shorter. Therefore mine has now become "the 17.2 mare", she really isn't.
 

Casey76

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My youngester, everyone comments "oooh he's huuuge", well he's only just touching 16hh (though that is actually too big for me!) but he is very stocky (11in bone) and gives the impression he's a lot bigger than he is!

My mare was advertised as being 148 (14.2) though in reality she's only 141 (13.3 and a bit). Though I'm thankful in a way, as if she'd been advertised as being that small I wouldn't have gone to see her, and she is absolutely great!
 

FfionWinnie

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I bought a 15.1 cob. She came off the lorry and I thought mmmmm she's a bit small looking. Measured her and she was 14.2 (funnily enough her passport even says she's 14.2!). Then had the farrier out to remove her shoes and about an inch of surplus hoof so she definitely below 14.2 now.

However she LOOKS more like 15.1 because she's enormous all over and people are always telling me she cannot just be 14.2 :D
 

GemG

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Ha ha..

There are often two camps...

Those who just want their horse to sound big (for some reason!)

or

Those who are on ponies jumping and desperate to keep it a full up 14.2, when it is prob more like 15.1 and should be in horse classes!

:p
 

Pennythetank

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Ha ha..

There are often two camps...

Those who just want their horse to sound big (for some reason!)

or

Those who are on ponies jumping and desperate to keep it a full up 14.2, when it is prob more like 15.1 and should be in horse classes!

:p

Don't forget those who are out of pony classes and desperately want their 13.2 to become 14.3 so they can continue to compete it!
 

fallenangel123

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I'm 16hh to the top of my head so use that as a rough guide, although I have been to yards where 16.2hh reaches my chin?! They must have one of those 'special' measuring sticks too.

my fell pony is 13.2hh, I measured her as she seemed bigger, since then the vet, dentist and farrier have all measured her as no one believes me! She has quite a large personality though, so she seems bigger I think.
 

Dunlin

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Mine went the other way! Advertised as 16.3 and I was a little apprehensive about his height having never ridden anything over 15.3 at that point. Went to view and thought "christ 16.3 is enormous", fell in love and he came home to me, all 17.2 of him!

If the muzzle can get into my pocket without noticeable head movement when walking in from the field it's 13.2, if my pony tail ends up in the mouth it's around 16.3!
 

kez81

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I have measured all my boys with stick on level surface with poll in line with withers and they come in at 15.1, 14.2 and 13.2 pretty much spot on. Ask people how big they are and people always say at least a hand bigger! Oh my god how they get offended when you offer to measure their 16.2 to show he is actually only 15!
 

Darkwater

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Oh yes lots of special measuring sticks on my yard! My mare is just over 13.3 without shoes, and no one believes me that she could possibly be under 14.2. Although in fairness, I bought her as a 14.2 and never questioned it as she is a chunky girl and seems a lot bigger. There is a girl currently advertising a 14hh pony for loan and I know for a fact it is smaller than my 13.2 youngster..
 

EquiEquestrian556

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Sunny is 13.3hh, perhaps 2 millimeters over with her shoes on (I've measured her), and people have thought that she was 11.3hh or 12 hands! I mean really! :mad: She's not that small. People have also thought that my Mother's mare is only 15hh (she's measured up at 16.1hh), but that's because my Father was riding her, and he has incredibly long legs.
 
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At the yard everything is either 15.2hh 16hh or 16.2hh. The odd really big ****** is 17hh but never more. Gray was in the 16.2hh section and Jeff was an oddball at 17hh - they are both 16.3 1/2 hh and 17.2hh respectively! Measured on level ground with a spirit level measure lol!
 

SecretAgentBilly

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There is the opposite sort of stick at one of my yards - absolutely huge Irish draught is apparently 16.2 despite being at least a hand taller then the 16.2 in the stable next to it.. At my other yard though everyone has 16hh-17hh horses even if they are obviously smaller.
 

sasquatch

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mine is about 15hh, however is able to appear both 14hh and 15.2hh on requirement.

I was actually asked yesterday how big he was, as he was standing next to a fellow liveries 15.3 cob (who is easily around this height) and she thought there wasn't a huge height difference between them, she was surprised he wasn't as big, but then maybe he just has a big personality :D
 

Mrs G

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Everyone on my yard says I'm wrong when I say that Genie is only 15hh with shoes... I got out my stick with spirit level and showed them and they then said that the stick must be wrong!

I've had this - I have one of these with the spirit level because I want to be sure I'm accurate, then if they don't like what it comes out with they say the stick must be wrong - really?! How likely is the measuring stick to be wrong, do they not think it just might have been measured/made properly in the factory?! By the same argument, all rulers, tape measures etc must be wrong too!
 
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EmmasMummy

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My old cob was clearly measured with a special one, but it went in my favour as he was really 15.1hh not 15.3hh. haha.
Some folk must be measuring from the Poll or something, to be THAT way out!
 
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