Weigh tape weight v weighbridge weight

Petalpoos

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Seeing a couple of threads on here today re weight: those of you who have weighed their horse on a weighbridge and used a tape - what has been the difference between the 'actual' weight and the weigh tape weight? I imagine it must vary to some degree according to the type of horse, but would be interested to know as I suspect that many people use the weigh tape to guage worming doses etc., but I have heard there can be some large disctrepancies on actual v weigh tape.
 

SEL

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I think I've said on the other thread but i put the weigh tape around both of mine before Topspec came out last Nov and had

Ardennes 640kg on tape and 650kg on bridge (I was expecting a lot more)

My Appaloosa x draft was 580kg on tape and 618kg on the bridge. She's showing 600kg on the tape at the moment, so trying to diet her. Off work though so a struggle. Doesn't look to be particularly heavy in her bone structure so no idea where all those KG are hiding.
 

criso

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My current weightape weighs about 25-30kg under. I had another that was always over. I also had a significant difference between Topspec mobile weightbridge at a camp and one at Horspital
 

HeyMich

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I tape my mare (16.2hh IDx) regularly and she's between 550-580kg depending on the time of year. Last summer when she was in horspital they put her over the weighbridge and she was 640kg!! I was amazed at the difference. She must have a very, very heavy head....
 

criso

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I was given a spreadsheet that combines the measurement round the belly, length from point of shoulder to point of buttock and height that was very accurate. I couldn't find an equivalent online that combines all three or I'd have pointed to it.
 

Hormonal Filly

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Put my coloured on one of those scales the feed companies bring 3 years ago, he was 420 kg on the scales and tape said 460kg. He was super fit back then, 14.2 cob but never seen a pony so lean and fit.
 

Tarragon

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I don't have much faith in the weigh tapes as I really cannot see how you can possibly get an accurate idea of weight from the girth measurement alone. I have Exmoor ponies that can have a build of a small horse on short legs!
You might as well just use a string with a knot in that indicates the girth measurement of your pony at its ideal weight and then use that for comparative purposes.
 

w1bbler

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Few years ago had 2 14.2 natives, both weigh taped around 425kg. On the scales one was 420kg other was 515! the 'heavy' one was put back on several times as feed company lady didn't believe it, but same result 3 times 😯
Pony went on a strict diet straight away
 

npage123

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I tape my mare (16.2hh IDx) regularly and she's between 550-580kg depending on the time of year. Last summer when she was in horspital they put her over the weighbridge and she was 640kg!! I was amazed at the difference. She must have a very, very heavy head....

I think you've hit the nail on the head... The heaviest part of their body is the neck and head, and maybe weightape manufacturers don't/can't incorporate that area of the horse's body with their calculations?
 

Petalpoos

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Thanks all. As I suspected, wiegh tapes are probably only useful for monitoring relative weight changes but are not going to be much good for worming. Mine shows 408k on a tape, but I worm her as 500k.
 

SEL

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I think you've hit the nail on the head... The heaviest part of their body is the neck and head, and maybe weightape manufacturers don't/can't incorporate that area of the horse's body with their calculations?

That's exactly why the vets said the tape would be no good with my Ardennes - only 14.3, but a HUGE amount on bone! So I was surprised that it was nearly spot on.

It was a useful exercise though because I know with him its broadly right and with the mare that if she starts to increase on the tape measurement then there's a real change her 'proper' weight is increasing exponentially more!
 

Orchard14

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One of mine weigh tapes at 550, weigh bridge says 538. The other one weigh tapes at 570, weigh bridge says 602. I would never use a weigh tape as a way of measuring their real weight because it's far too inaccurate, but it is a good tool for seeing whether they have changed shape over time.
 

supsup

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My 14.1h pony tapes around 10-20kg lighter than he is on the scales. He's around 400kg on the scales, and around 380kg on the tape. I've use the calculator for shoulder-to-hip length plus girth, and it's been spot on in comparison to the scale. Unless you have a horse with a very unusual build, I don't think I'd worm for close to 100kg extra. I usually allow an extra 25kg notch above 400kg to account for some wormer going astray on lips or the syringe.
 

JillA

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Weighbridge (at the vets) was 10% over what the tape revealed. I just used the tape for working out whether he had gained or lost in relation to that base level
 

Merrymoles

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I only use a weight tape to monitor changes and keep a general eye. His weight on the tape is 585kg and seems to vary little except in about June. He's never been properly weighed.
 

holeymoley

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Weight tapes are only good at giving an idea of any fluctuations etc, they will never give a true reading.

Mine on a weigh bridge at vets on Tuesday was 474kg and on the tape he's 366kg.
 

laura_nash

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That's exactly why the vets said the tape would be no good with my Ardennes - only 14.3, but a HUGE amount on bone! So I was surprised that it was nearly spot on.

My really HW 14.3 cob is also spot on, weigh tape weight and weigh bridge weight have always matched almost exactly.

Maybe weight tapes are in fact designed for chunky 14.3's!
 

case895

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Some years ago I did a Type 1 (repeatability) study on a weight tape on my old horse. If a measurement device is not repeatable (gives a similar result in 30 consecutive measures for same operator, same measured thing), its no use to man nor beast. It failed drastically as the measurements were all over the shop.
 

OrangeAndLemon

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Interesting; mine was significantly too big for the tape (I'm sure it went upto about 775kg but we were about 8-10 inches short). He weighbridged at 799kg.

I was lucky to catch it, I've no idea how the tape was used but I'd overheard he only needed one wormer because someone on the yard had used a tape and it had said 765kg and I didn't think tapes went that big. If I'd not quickly been in touch to say "that's nowhere near" he wouldn't have had the right wormer dose.

I get him weighed every 6 months now, just in case we ever need to know for dosages etc. Being a bigger horse, larger fluctuations in weight are normal too; roughly 50kg change between autumn and spring would be fine. Really want to get him around 950kg this time. He's rising 9 and condition score was 8 (on a 1 to 10 scale). His bum is now a perfect 5, the crest on his neck is much better but we still have fat covering his ribs which needs to go. He has muscled up a bit and is starting to work from behind. This isn't a well stood up pic but you can still see what I'm working with.

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Sorry, can't upload from phone, can't resize so hoping this link works.
 

Spottyappy

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All of ours are 20kg under on the weigh tape compared with the vets bridge.
My vet was actually quite surprised, as he said most tapes are much more out. Mine is a Dodson and Horrell tape, whereas he said the others people had been using were unbranded.
So, I would say my tape is accurate given that I know I need to add 20kg on each time I use it.
 

pippixox

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I feel like the weight tape is a bit like when you gauge your own weight on a pair of jeans that are a bit tight when you are heavier after Christmas and lose when you are a bit fitter in the summer! A guide but not accurate. Still it can show general loss and gain, but so can just conditioning scores, which I tend to go on more as then you pick up fat reserves

I would love to get my tb on weigh scales and tape comparison as he has a huge rib cage so always has a very wide barrel even when he was still working
 
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