How many people actually measure their horse?

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zoeshiloh

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I just wondered on the above, especially when you go to see a horse that is apparently 16.2hh and it turns out to be 15.2hh.

Last year I had my vet measure every single one of my horses with a proper stick when he came to do the vaccinations. I have a JA mare that measures exactly at 14.1hh and yet you put her next to a supposed 14.2hh and she is over a hand smaller! Another horse of mine is down as 16.2hh on her passport, and yet measures just over 15.2hh!

I recently sold a horse that was 17hh - spot on the mark. When people came to try him they told me he must be much bigger that 17hh as he was enormous (and yes, even I thought originally that he was bigger). The trouble is that their '16.2hh' at home was really more like a 15.2hh and so they thought a 17hh should only be 2 inches bigger, when in fact he was half a foot bigger!

Is this a common occurance, or is it just people around here that have no idea how big horses are, and just take a guess at it?
 
Girl at my yard bought horse that was meant to be 15hh and he's actually 15.3 (I think) She was very put of by his size because she didnt want anything bigger than 15hh but shes fine now she got used to him.

My boy was advertised as 15hh when I first got him 7 years ago, and to me even a 14hh was big coming from a 13.1hh lol! But we measure him and he was only 14.3hh. Makes you wonder...do people actually measure before advertising, or do they just guess?
 
I don't think people do, when I was looking at horses a few years ago everything was smaller than advertised.

People always seemed shocked when I say my horse is 16hh, they think he's much bigger, although I havn't measured him since last year and he may have grown a bit.
 
I admit - I did just guess - she looked 14.2 ish - then measured her and she was 14.1 and a bit - so wasn't far off!

I have met a full up 16.2hh and he was enormous! I am sure most 16.2hh's are actually about 15.3hh.
 
I don't really bother with measuring height - if the horse is big enought to carry me then his actual height is irrelevant- My boy is about 15h but our measuring stick seems to put him at 14.2/3 which he definately is not.
 
It's easy for them to measure differntly by and inch or two if it's just you on your yard with a stick.

Shoeing can makes this difference as does how the horse is stood uup exactly where you're measuring to etc.

So to me 15 or 15.2hh makes no difference

My 16.3 turned out to be bigger than the Yo's 16.3 , we never did dare put a stick on him, 16.3 was more than big enough thank you very much!

Now he's retired and has a few leg problems I'm sure he's shrinking!
 
I haven't measured my current horse who was advertised as 167cm (metric over here) and I'm not really bothered what height she is. Think it only really matters for height classes - otherwise, as long as horse and rider suit one another does it really matter?

The one phrase which I think is the most ridiculous is 'full up'. The height is a measurement, there is no room for full up or not full up... its either 14.2 or its not. That's like saying I have a 'full up' 30cm ruler. No... you have a 30 cm ruler.
 
I didn't measure Bailey when I bought him - he was advertised at 16.1hh & that looked about right until he came off the lorry then he looked enormous! He's been measured since & came in at 16.2 1/2hh! That was about 12-18 months ago - I won't bother measuring him again that's ample for little old 5'3" me!!!!!!!!!
 
Bob was advertised as 16.3 and I thought 'nope, he's bigger than that' so we always said he was 16.5!!! I really wanted him but anything over 16.3 would scare me.
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Anyhoo, after a few years I asked the vet to measure him as he was last measured at 5/6 years, bu**er me - he IS 16.3!!!
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He is a big chunky horse - but he was bred to be a hunter.
 
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I haven't measured my current horse who was advertised as 167cm (metric over here) and I'm not really bothered what height she is. Think it only really matters for height classes - otherwise, as long as horse and rider suit one another does it really matter?

The one phrase which I think is the most ridiculous is 'full up'. The height is a measurement, there is no room for full up or not full up... its either 14.2 or its not. That's like saying I have a 'full up' 30cm ruler. No... you have a 30 cm ruler.

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Not true i'm afraid.

The wither is not a fixed point.

The ribcage and wither is suspended between the front legs, via a ball joint and muscle. If the horse is very fit or tense the muscle is tighter pulling the wither higher, if the horse unfit or relaxed it can easily be an inch or two smaller.

Think of it as being a barrel suspended between 2 posts by springs.
 
How wierd!!

Ive just bought a measuring stick ( mini one ) and measured inky today. Its really important for me to know his height for showing purposes and as ive a few championship shows coming up i thought id better check as they can measure at any time!!! Minis are measured at the last hair of the mane or at the withers depending on which society you show with so he genarally has two heights!!

He was quite cold and wet so alittle tucked up so will do it when hes more relaxed!!
 
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Not true i'm afraid.

The wither is not a fixed point.

The ribcage and wither is suspended between the front legs, via a ball joint and muscle. If the horse is very fit or tense the muscle is tighter pulling the wither higher, if the horse unfit or relaxed it can easily be an inch or two smaller.

Think of it as being a barrel suspended between 2 posts by springs.

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OK, fair enough, but are you telling me that when you are standing there with the stick, you have the marker at 14.2.... that that isn't 14.2? Its actually 'full up' 14.2? This full up business just confuses people.
 
My boy was measured this week at 16.2hh with shoes on exactly. A lot of people can't beleive he is only 16.2hh as that is what their horse is!
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'Full up 14.2' is just advertising spraff, of course a horse's height can vary depending on fitmess (and if you tickle their belly!) but when you see a horse advertised with this mince it just means they thought it would sound more official than '14.2'

My mare is measured at 15.1 when fit, though if you show her a flapping white bag she could be advertised as 'Full up 16.2'
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Yea it's annoying isn't it, even without measuring then I think some people give very bad estimates!! Someone came to look at my old horse and they had been telling us they had a 16.2 back home. Murphy was 16 hands, and when they saw him they said he was bigger than their horse back home!
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Badger is just under 16.3 and probably looks a bit bigger than that I'd say.
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Full up generally just means it is really 14.2 unfit so over that when fully fit.

FEI ponies are allowed to measure 151cm at comps

148cm real height
1cm fitness
1cm attitude
1cm shoes
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153cm
 
my horse was advertised as 15.3 but measured him at home and was 16.1HH!!!, I think people just guess, and they usually get it wrong because some chunky types will appear taller than a finer horse.
 
My horse was 15.1 and the number of peopkle who used to say - my horse is 15.2 and they would be way smaller than her.
we have a girl at our yard whose horse is 15.2 on its tip toes and she maintains its 16.1!
I thought my new horse seeemed massive when i went to try him (advertised at 16.3) measured him at home and he is 17 and a half hands
 
Pip is 13.3 full up. His withers measure 140CM, but his bum about 146, and he has low withers, so he does seem much bigger than he is. He takes a 5 foot 6 rug and weights 348KG
Bobbie is 13.1, not atall ull up, his withers mesure 134 cm, and his bum 128 cm. His withers are very tall and he is narrow. He takes a 4 foot 9 rug and weights 273KG.

Although in theory Bobbie and Pip are similar, with only 2 inches differences, Pip is a totally diferent sized animal although both are faily middle weight sorts.

I think most people just take a guess at it, but ours have all had officialy mesurings.

I am so glad we didn't try and put a 4-in-hand together, yu could buy 4 16.2's, and I bet you there would be more than a hand difference in height and also a big difference in actual size.
 
i invested in a good measuring stick as am useless at guessing height and, horses look diff at times, so with having yongsters i keeping an eye on their height, have stopped measuring my 17 hander tho as is unnerving!!!!! is amazing what people think their horses are and 'what they acutally are'
 
People say 14.2 when their pony is 14.1 and a half (otherwise its a bit of a mouthful. Full up just means its an up to height 14.2 or at least thats my understanding of it.
 
My TB mare was advertised at 15.1 without shoes. I had her shod and she was 14.3 and a half with shoes!!! She is 15.2 now and has filled out considerabily since then, although people keep saying to me she is bigger. Nope. 15.2
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i guessed mine 16.3 he was stood next to one that i was told was 17hh, and he was slightly smaller. He is somewhere around that mark tho. had someone trying to tell me that their 16hh was 16.2.... er no way, its nowhere near as big as my horse!
 
I have to stop my self measuring Jesse daily, I'm trying to get 148cm out of him.
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I have a little friend who bought a 148cm show jumping pony; she's just sold him as a 15.2HH. He was five and Irish bred but still, she's only had him a cuple of months max. He has had a height certificate so she could still complete him in junoirs.

When I sold Parker I first advertised him as 16HH which he was when I measured him when I bought him however everbody keep saying he was huge(?) so remeasured him as 16.1HH. Baring in mind he had been '15.2HH' less then a year ago.

I honestly think everbody believes there horses are alot bigger then they are.
 
I keep measuring hovis as the-not-so-little bu**er keeps growing!
As i know what hovis is I do raise an eyebrow at some on our yard that say their horses are bigger or smaller than Hovis when quite clearly they're not!!
 
I bought mine as 16 hands but have never been able to measure him as he is terrified of the measuring stick.
At the end of the day, he feels the right size for me so I'm not too fussed if he's an inch or 2 either way.
 
My cob measured 157cm at home without shoes the morning we took her for her life height measurement, but at the pad, she measured in at 153.5cm. We didn't even have to wait for her to relax - the vet just walked in and put the stick on her. She was exactly the same height as the year before, but the vet hadn't looked at that before he did it. And I was worried that she wouldn't measure in!
 
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