It’s important to know how much your horse weighs because both feed amounts and medication dosages are calculated based on the weight of your horse.
The most accurate way to weigh your horse is to use a weighbridge or livestock scale (a big scale the horse walks onto).
However, most of us don’t have access to a livestock scale so the next option is to use a weight tape (also called a horse or pony tape).
To weigh your horse with a weight tape, throw it over the highest point of the withers and pull it up underneath the belly, like attaching a saddle girth.
Overlap the two ends (like you would with a people measuring tape) and check the reading, which will be indicated in whatever measurements are typically used in your country (kilos, pounds).
A weight tape is less accurate than a weighbridge but more accurate than trying to guess the weight of your horse just by looking at her.
After using a weighbridge, calculating your horses mass (instructions below) is the second most accurate way of weighing your horse.
Weighing your horse one a truck scale
If you have access to a truck scale you can load your horse into your trailer and weigh the whole rig.
You’ll find the weight of your trailer in the registration papers. Alternately, you can weigh the trailer without the horse as well.
Take the total weight and subtract the trailer’s weight from it. The resulting number is your horse’s weight.
Keep in mind that truck scales are not as finely calibrated as livestock scales and if you weigh your trailer and horse on different days, you may get varying results.
How much fuel and stuff you have on board will all affect the final weight. Though it’s possible to weigh your horse like this, it’s tricky and time-consuming.
Without a scale, it’s simply faster to use a tape measure.
How to weigh your horse without a scale
If you don’t have a weight tape, you can use a normal measuring tape and some simple math.
- Measure the circumference of the heart girth (the white dotted line).
- Measure from the point of the shoulder to the point of the hindquarter (depicted by the solid green line).
How to calculate your horse’s weight in centimetres (cm)
In centimetres you need to do the following calculation:
Heart girth x hearth girth x length, divided by 11 877 = weight.
For example:
If a horse’s heart girth was 169cm and her body length was 150 cm, the calculation would be:
169 X 169 X 150 ÷ 11877 = 361 kilos (approximate weight).
How to calculate your horse’s weight in inches (in)
In inches you need to do the following calculation:
Heart girth x heart girth x length, divided by 330, +50 = weight.
For example:
If a horse’s heart girth was 78″ and her body length was 65″, the calculation would be:
78 X 78 X 65 ÷ 330 + 50 = 1,248 pounds (approximate weight).
