Have you weighed your horses? Were you surprised?

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Jambarissa

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So we had a weighbridge out yesterday. Put 9 horses on it and between 16 people, including 2 instructors, 2 professional grooms and the RS owner, we were pretty poor at guessing weights and generally underestimated.

Thought you might be interested anyway, wish I could put pics but only one is mine.

12.2 fit Welsh A 270kg
15.2 retired healthy looking TB 520kg
16hh fit ISH 650kg
17.2 fitish shire cross 810kg
17hh slightly fat WB 700kg
13.2 fat gypsy cob 530kg
14.2 slightly fat gypsy cob 560kg
12.2 3yo slim gypsy cob 320kg
16hh skinny hunter 580kg

The gypsies were the most surprising, even allowing for their fatness they are heavier than they look, particularly the youngster who has very little meat on her. We were best at guessing the weights of the 'proper horses', that's probably what we see in literature.

I thought a Facebook page where people post pics, details, girth and weight would actually be a really useful resource. Don't suppose this exists?

What was also amusing is we measured height, everything above 15hh was estimated to be higher, including the recently purchased ones being a couple of inches shorter than advertised.
 
Very interesting! My vet always measures girth and length and does the calculation for injections - I was surpised how heavy our 15.2 TB measured. I'd love weighbrdge them all if I ever get the chance.
 
It is fascinating the differences isn’t it! I had a weigh bridge out at the end of last year and was rather surprised!

I have a 6y/o 15.2 (at a guess, we can’t get a stick near her) Welsh D x ID, came in about 610 on a weigh tape, I had spent the whole summer trying to get weight off and she was looking fairly trim and came out at 550kg.

My 2 year old 14.2 WB x ISH shocked me the most though, significantly finer but 530kg. Both had good a good BCS though!

What shocked me most was my farrier was able to guess their weights both within 5kg 🤣
 
The university vets bring a weigh bridge to the yard once year.

My 14hh Highland was 525kg last year and 544kg this year.

My 15hh PRE was 540kg last year and 497kg this year. Yay for starting ridden work (which happened shortly after last year's weigh bridge visit).
 
My Ardennes (14.3) isn't with us any longer but he came in less than we expected given his bone - 640kg.

The Appy (15.1) was 620kg but she's part bred draft and although she hasn't got the bone of the Ardennes she's got the chest to pull a plough.

My 13h Dales x Cob was 400 on the weighbridge and is probably a fair bit more than that right now having had some time off work. I'd under estimated her

My friend recently had her 14h 3yo cob weighing in at about 570 - but he looks fat
 
If any are in winter woolies it hides alot!

My SecD summer of 21 weighed 562kg on a way bridge and he was rather chunky!
By the beginning of summer 23 he was 520kg and looked fab.

People very often underestimate weight and weight tapes and generally out but still a great tool for monitoring. Our vets recommend to measure around the girth area but also widest point of the neck and do this monthly to keep an eye on things
 
ycbm said:
Moderately fit, not fat, not ribby 17hh (measured) WB of solid lightweight type was 617kg. I was surprised it was so little.
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I'm surprised at that also, especially as my 16.2 wb has just weighed in at almost 700kg. He's a pretty solid middleweight but def need to get him dieting before the spring grass gets going. Rehabbing a suspensory injury so no way to up the work yet.
 
Get a weighbridge to come to you, Cragrat! I use JP Equestrian (details are on a thread of that name in the Tack Room somewhere if you search for it) and it's £15 per horse. I've had my lot weighed twice & it was very informative!

17hh TB 635 kg
16.1 TB 580 kg
12.2 Dartmoor 300 kg
9.2 Sh*tland 220 kg

I had changed feeding regime between the first & 2nd weighings & was astonished by how much weight the TBs had put on in a year. I thought that they were looking a lot better and this proved it.
 
Shows how easy it is to be over axle weight on the trucks. I think it is important to know what your horse weighs. Worming for instance, routine under worming creates even more resistance and over loading trucks has a huge impact on braking distances at best, and at worst, well lets not imagine that possible result.
 
Bert 13.2 NF 400 kilos medium build 5 year old
Homey.3 NF 460 kilos chunky build- this was a few years back when Homey was alive.

I think useful to know for worming purposes and also to think about rider weight too.
 
criso said:
I've had experiences where portable weighbridges have been off and come out heavier than the one at my local horsepital so whole useful, I'd take it as a guide.

The 15.2 tb seems heavy at 520kg. My 16 2 only weights a bit more than that and my 16 3 very chunky tb was only 560kg.
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We have a weighbridge at our yard so can weigh as and when we like...weighed my rising 5yr old 15.2 tb this morning at 475kg but she's not built muscle yet as she's still very green under saddle so I expect her to reach similar to yours once she's matured. My 14.3hh connie x tb is overweight at 449kg, should be 420-430 ideally.
 
I was shocked when one of mine was weighed at an Equine hospital, was 200kg less than we'd thought, and I still think their weighbridge was wrong - 16.3hh ID x weighed in at 525kg...
 
Sometimes, you'd rather not know.

The vet school came with the weigh bridge during the last year of my old horse's life. I knew she was underweight and was doing everything I could to get condition on her. Knowing the numbers and the degree to which she was underweight wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference to my management, but it would have stressed me out.
 
I weighed Tali last year at camp. She’s a 14.2 haflinger and was over 400 kg. Can’t remember exactly her weight but it wasn’t overly surprising. I also went on the weigh bridge with my boots, hat and tack. I was under 15% of her body weight which was excellent.
She’s put on fat from then having the winter off so I’ve made a conscious effort to keep slim for when we start ridden work again.
 
My 16.1 ID has been weighed a few times. 570kg at the end of summer (eventing and endurance) and 610kg in the spring. Probably more 650kg at moment. 606kg on weight tape.
I got a shock at vet hospital when 15.1 welsh came in at 598kg but in hindsight he is same on weight tape as ID and has an extremely deep girth.
 
Highland is about 100kgs overweight. I hate that I’ve neglected him but equally he’s very happy! Was going to do tough love winter but yard insists he’s fed 🤔. If he survives our move in the summer I will find somewhere better for him. It’s ridiculous when yard owners don’t let you slim your horses! I know I should have moved him sooner but couldn’t face two moves and so little diy livery near me.
 
My 15.2 (158cm) sports horse is 465-490 depending on condition :)
I’ve not weighted my cob yet but he’s had 3 measured so def around 142cm!
 
I get mine weighed on a weigh bridge twice a year now. The weigh tape kept insisting my welsh sec A was 420kg which just seemed....ridiculous, considering he's only 11.1!. I mean, he was fat but I didn't think he was that bad! Turned out I was right, the weigh tape was overestimating by nearly 100kg. I now use the tape to guage whether or not he's losing weight rather than for the actual weight, and the weighbridge to get a sense of the "proper" number. Very eye opening! (also please to say he's lost another 40kg since that initial weighing...phew)
 
My 16.2 warmblood x id at her heaviest weighed 710kgs but sits around 650-70 now.
Aiming to have a feed company out to weigh again in spring
 
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