Be accurate when measuring your Appaloosa.

To get a good measurement, the horse must stand up completely square and still on a flat surface, such as a concrete or asphalt barn aisle.

Measuring Up

How to correctly measure your Appaloosa’s height

Have you ever gone to look at a horse advertised as 16 hands tall only to think that 16 hands seems shorter in person? You’re not the only one. Sometimes horse measuring is merely estimated rather than factual. Fear not, dear horse hunter, here’s a sure way for you to get a correct horse-height measurement.

STEP-BY-STEP MEASURING

Horses are measured from the ground to the highest point of the withers in a unit called hands. Each hand is four inches, or as tradition tells us, the average width of a man’s hand. So, a 16-hand horse is equal to 64 inches or 5 feet 4 inches (or 162.6 cm) tall at the withers. Measuring a horse doesn’t follow the metric system, so a horse that’s 15.3 hands high is 15 hands plus 3 inches tall, not 15 hands plus 0.3 hand high.

“Squaring up” isn’t just for show horses. For you to get a good measurement, the horse must stand up completely square and still on a flat surface, such as a concrete or asphalt barn aisle. Work on squaring up your horse ahead of time so measuring is fast, easy and accurate.

Throw out that horse weight/height tape and invest in a horse measuring stick with a built-in level. The soft fabric tape is hard to keep straight and taut, which can accidentally add inches to the actual height of the animal. Using a solid measuring stick ensures an accurate measurement down to the inch. If you don’t have a measuring stick, consider stapling that measuring tape to a 2 inch x 2 inch (or 5 cm x 5 cm) piece of lumber or simply mark a piece of lumber or a tall, straight stick with 4-inch hand increments for accurate measurements.

Stand the measuring stick straight at the horse’s shoulder and place the level across the withers. If you’re not using a horse measuring stick, get a carpenter’s level and place it over the withers, perpendicular to your measuring device. Carefully move the level until the bubbles in the level vials are centered. Note the height on the measuring stick where the level intersects. You now know the horse’s correct height.

MAKING THE RIGHT MARK

In these days of Internet shopping for buying horses for breeding, it’s especially important that owners properly measure their horses before posting an advertisement.

Helpful hint: If you’re requesting a video of an animal for sale, ask the owner to measure the horse on camera so you can see the technique used and the number on the measuring stick. If you’re trying to sell a horse, measure carefully and have a photo of the measurement on hand so you can e-mail or send it to prospective buyers.

STORY AND PHOTO BY MICHELLE ANDERSON