Are horses getting bigger? (Taller not fatter)

[nikicb]

As per thread title really. Just a rainy Sunday afternoon musing, but I'm sure when I was younger 16.3 was a big horse. Now there are loads of 17 hand plus horses about. Is it because foals are getting a better start, or are they being bred bigger? Thoughts? x

 

[EmmaCA]

When I was looking for my second horse a couple of years ago I found that it's not the horses that are getting bigger, people just overestimate how big they are, and advertise them at say 16.2hh when they are actually only 16hh. Some people seem to think the bigger their horse is, the better for some reason!

 

[nikicb]

When I was looking for my second horse a couple of years ago I found that it's not the horses that are getting bigger, people just overestimate how big they are, and advertise them at say 16.2hh when they are actually only 16hh. Some people seem to think the bigger their horse is, the better for some reason!

I see what you mean, but I know a lot of horses these days that are definitely over the 17 hh mark, it's not a measurement thing.

 

[Cortez]

Yes, over time horses have grown taller on average, to meet demand. So have riders, which may explain why taller horses are now being bred. If I was buying/breeding for showjumping or dressage I wouldn't look at anything under 16.2hh. This doesn't mean that there aren't many, many lovely shorties out there too! Historically horses have been very small (average 14.1hh during Middle Ages. The recommended height for cavalry horses was 15.1 - 15.2 up until 1940); bigger horses started to be bred in the 18th century when heavier land came under the plough.