Horse's weight - Is this correct?!

[mickey]

This afternoon the yard wanted to take the weight of a shetland pony (granted, pretty fat with no muscle). Using the weigh tape the horse was about 538 lbs - When this is converted to stone this is - Around 40 stone. Surely a pony like this would not weigh this amount? Doing it a second time created a result of 30stone - I thought this was ridiculous but was totally outnumbered!! Anyone know what (if anything) is going wrong?
Thanks

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I only work in stones and kilos! I know a shettie weighs around 200kg, if 63/4kg is 10 stone then a stone must be 6.4kg. 40 multiplied by 6.4= 256kg So that does sound about right!

(Sorry if this isn't exact, I worked it out in my head!)

 

[Pep12]

Weightapes are notoriously inaccurate at either extreme (ie very small or very large). That is probably what is going on. the best way would be to drag him off in a trailer to your local weigh bridge. Weigh the trailer with him in and then without. If you are looking for a weekly guide then it will show you a difference but the absoulte weight will not be correct. Also ensure that the person using it is not sticking their hand inside the tape and that it goes from behind the withers to behind the front legs (heart girth).
ETS: a fat shetland could easily weigh 250kg + (550 +pounds)

 

[mickey]

Thanks guys for the above.
This is so that kiddies can guess at a yard open day the weight of the pony. What I am trying to work out is whether, theoretically, a shetland pony weighs in the region of 30-40 stones???? Anyone? I can't find anything about horse's weight in stones on the internet and when I convert the horse's weight in lbs to stones I get this huge number of stones........Help!!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The children are unlikely to know what stones are, schools teach metric measurement. Ask them to guess his weight in kilos, which is what most weight tapes give you. 538 seems a lot for a Shettie, my 16.3 IDx weighs that according to my tape, which I realise is probably underweighing her but it does give me something to monitor her with each week.

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
Ask them to guess his weight in kilos, which is what most weight tapes give you. 538 seems a lot for a Shettie, my 16.3 IDx weighs that according to my tape, which I realise is probably underweighing her but it does give me something to monitor her with each week.

[/ QUOTE ]
There is no WAY your horse could weigh 538 pounds; that's only 244.5 kilos! PF who is 15.2 and built like a minnow weighs twice that. I expect your tape is in kilos

 

[PapaFrita]

I've googled 538 pounds and it's 244.55 kgs, which I think is possible for a chubby Shettie.
Also weightapes ARE famously inaccurate, but not by THAT much I wouldn't have thought

 

[mickey]

I have started an argument at the yard, because I personally am struggling with the concept that this shettie (or any shettie) could weigh 30-40 stone!!! Everyone else seems to disagree with me! Surely this is too much !!

 

[Donkeymad]

What height shetty? Is it a little u'n or a bigger 'un?
I am pretty sure that a shetland should not weigh this much. Weigh tapes are, as said, only useful as a guide, and some have two sides, one for those over and one for those under a certain heght, ie, adjusted for smaller animals.

 

[LCobby]

Sounds fairly likely if he is chunky - see
http://www.horsedata.co.uk/weight_table.htm
this table is quite conservative, my 15h cob was 650 kilos on vet weight stall, and not fat.