How many feet are in a hand when measuring a horse?

A “Hand” is a unit of measure equal to 4 inches, used to measure the height of a horse at the highest point of the withers. The number of whole hands is properly followed by a period, then the remaining height in inches. Thus a horse who measures 5 feet and two inches at the withers would be designated “15.2 hands”.

Why are horses measured by hands?

Why are horses measured in hands? Thousands of years ago, there were no measuring tapes lying around (or a metric system, for that matter). People needed a way of measuring their riding horses for purposes of selling and trading, and so they used a unit of measurement that they always had with them – their hands.

How many hands is a 7 foot horse?

Horse Height Conversion Chart

Hands	Inches	Feet
16.1hh	65	5ft 5
16.2hh	66	5ft 6
16.3hh	67	5ft 7
17hh	68	5ft 8

Can a horse be 14.5 hands?

Hands and Other Measurements A horse could never be said to be 14.5 inches, as the number after the decimal is not a fraction, but represents an entire inch. If a horse is 14.2 1/2 HH, that means he’s two and one-half inches over 14 hands.

How big is a 16 hand horse?

Equine Size-Chart

DESCRIPTION	HANDS	INCHES
HORSE	16 H	64-66 inches
16.2 H	66-68 inches
17 H	68-70 inches
17.2 H	70-72 inches

Can a horse be 15.5 hands?

There is a proper way to figure and write out the measurement of a horse. Example: If a horse measures 60 inches you would divide that number by 4 (since a ‘hand’ is 4 inches) and get 15, which means the horse is 15 hands tall. 62 inches – 15.2 (when you divide by 4 you will get 15.5, but the .

Is 17 hands a big horse?

How tall is the average horse? Light riding horses are typically 14–16 hands (1.42–1.63m), larger riding horses are 15.2–17 hands (1.57–1.73m), and heavy or draft horses are usually 16–18 hands (1.63–1.83m). Growth can also be influenced by genetics and nutrition.

What is 155cm in horse hands?

Horse height conversion table

Hands	Cms
14.3	150
15	152
15.1	155
15.2	157

How tall is a 20 hand horse?

Big Jake became famous worldwide in 2010 after he was crowned the tallest in the world by the Guinness World Records at an extraordinary 20 hands, 2.75 inches (210.2 centimeters or 82.75 inches.) The average height of a Belgian horse is usually between 16 and 17 hands.

What is a wither on a horse?

Definition of withers 1 : the ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse — see horse illustration.

What is the perfect size horse for me?

To choose the right size horse, you’ll need to think about: Your weight. Your height….What height horse should you ride?

Your inseam (inches/cm)	Minimum horse height (hands/inches/cm)
34 / 86	14 / 56 / 142
36 / 91	15 / 60 / 152
38 / 97	15.3 / 63 / 160
40 / 102	16.2 / 66 / 168

Why are horses measured in hands?

Horses are measured in hands because they didn’t have standard measuring tools in ancient societies, so they commonly used hands to measure horses; this tradition continues to the present. One hand is considered 4 inches, so a 15 hand horse is 60 inches tall.

What is the measurement of a horse hand?

A hand is the unit of measurement used to measure horses. A hand is equal to four inches even. A horse is measured, on level ground, from the ground to the bump that joins the back and the neck (called the withers) If a horse is said to be 15 hands, that means 15 x 4 = the horse is 60″ tall, or 5 feet.

What is the height of a horse hand?

Thus, a horse that measures 60 inches is 15 hands high (15 x 4 = 60) and a horse halfway between 15 and 16 hands is 15.2 hands, or 62 inches tall (15 x 4 + 2 = 62) Because the subdivision of a hand is a base 4 system, a horse 64 inches high is 16.0 hands high, not 15.4.

How do you measure horses?

To measure your horses heart girth, measure (in inches) from the base of the withers down to a couple of inches behind your horses front legs, then under the belly and up the opposite side to where you started. The tape measure should run at an angle as shown by the yellow line in the image on the right.