{"id":173,"date":"2020-09-04T11:38:52","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T11:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/?p=173"},"modified":"2021-09-18T14:30:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T14:30:13","slug":"how-much-do-horses-weigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/how-much-do-horses-weigh\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Do Horses Weigh on Average?"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are so many different types of horses out there, as well as different horse breeds, each with its unique characteristics and features. Answering the question “how much does a horse weigh” is not as simple as one might believe at a glance, but I’m going to do my best to provide you with the best answer.<\/p>\n
The thing is, we need to tackle this question from different angles. Do you need to know how much does a horse weigh at birth, how much does a full-grown horse weigh, or how much does a certain breed of horse weigh?<\/p>\n
To answer give you a general answer, smaller breeds of horses generally weigh between 800 to 1,400 pounds, while larger horses weigh 1300 to 1500 pounds on average. The taller the horse, and the more muscular it is, the more it will tip the scales. Smaller horses, ponies included, are the lightest of the bunch.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, as I mentioned above, determining the average weight of a certain type of horse needs a bit of research. So let’s delve deeper into this topic and start at the very beginning.<\/p>\n One rule to keep in mind is that foals weigh on average around 10 percent of their mother’s weight at birth. To give you an example, a 900-pound mare will usually give birth to a 90-pound foal.<\/p>\n If the mare is warmblood and weighs 1,500 pounds on average, the foal will weigh 150 pounds, and so on. Draft mares are usually the heaviest, as they can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. They can also pull<\/a> an incredible amount of weight due to their sturdy builds. Their foals will tip the scales at 200 pounds then.<\/p>\n As you can see for yourself, ponies and polo ponies weigh the least, but they’re also the shortest of the equine, right alongside donkeys. When it comes to the taller breeds, the Arabian is still the lightest of the bunch, partly because it usually doesn’t exceed 15.1 hands in height, but also due to its slim and muscular body type.<\/p>\n Moving on to the Cob and Thoroughbred, these horses are right in the middle on the weight scale, even though both breeds can reach 16.3 hands in height without any issues.<\/p>\n The relatively heavy bunch is represented by the LW, MW, and HW Hunters, with some of them reaching 1433 or even 1543 pounds in weight. The heaviest horses of them all, however, are draft horses, which reach weights of up to 1873 pounds or more.<\/p>\n The absolute heaviest horse in the world right now is none other than Big Jake – a Belgian Draft that weighed 240 pounds when he was born. That’s around 50 pounds heavier than your usual Belgian Draft. As he grew, this horse has now reached a weight of 2600 pounds, which is 1,100 kg or 1.1 tons.<\/p>\n In adulthood, Big Jake has managed to reach a height of 20 hands and 2 and \u00be inches without any shoes on. Having such a large horse doesn’t come without its share of challenges, but the owners are taking very good care of Big Jake.<\/p>\n A horse’s weight can be measured in three different ways, which I will detail shortly.<\/p>\n In order to measure your horse’s weight with a weight tape, just wrap the tape around the circumference of the hearth girth, which is located just at the base of the horse’s withers. Now just read the weight indicated on the tape. Easy peasy!<\/p>\n Now, just measure your horse accordingly and solve the following math equation:<\/p>\n Hearth Girth x Hearth Girth x Body Length \u00f7 330 = Total + 50 Final Weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n I know it looks a bit complicated but you can trust me: it works. In order to get the measurements right, follow these simple instructions:<\/p>\n Obesity in horses is definitely a serious issue that can cause a number of health issues such as insulin resistance, otherwise known as laminitis or diabetes in horses. This disease can overwork the heart and joints, but it can be prevented with a decent diet and plenty of exercises. I know that not all of you have access to large pastures for your horses, but just make the best of what you have.<\/p>\n Make sure to weigh your horse often and keep track of how much weight it is gaining from checkup to checkup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to horse weight, there are some things we need to consider. There are so many different types of horses out there, as well as different horse breeds, each with its unique characteristics and features. Answering the question “how much does a horse weigh” is not as simple as one might believe at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[54,53],"yoast_head":"\nHow much does a foal weigh?<\/h3>\n
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\n\t \nHorse Height<\/th> Donkey<\/th> Pony<\/th> Polo Pony<\/th> Arabian<\/th> Cob<\/th> Thoroughbred<\/th> LW Hunter<\/th> MW Hunter<\/th> HW Hunter<\/th> Draft<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\t 9 hh<\/td> 330 lb (150 kg)<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 10 hh<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 12 hh<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 12.2 hh<\/td> 440 lb (200 kg)<\/td> 661 lb (300 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 13 hh<\/td> 771 lb (350 kg)<\/td> 661 lb (300 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 14 hh<\/td> <\/td> 661 lb (300 kg)<\/td> <\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 14.1 hh<\/td> <\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> <\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 14.2 hh<\/td> <\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 14.3 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 15 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 15.1 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 881 lb (400 kg)<\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 15.2 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 992 lb (450 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> <\/td> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 15.3 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1322 lb (600 kg)<\/td> 1543 lb (700 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 16 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1102 lb (500 kg)<\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1322 lb (600 kg)<\/td> 1433 lb (650 kg)<\/td> 1653 lb (750 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 16.1 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1322 lb (600 kg)<\/td> 1433 lb (650 kg)<\/td> 1763 lb (800 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 16.2 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1212 lb (550 kg)<\/td> 1433 lb (650 kg)<\/td> 1433 lb (650 kg)<\/td> 1873 lb (850 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t 16.3 hh<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> 1322 lb (600 kg)<\/td> 1322 lb (600 kg)<\/td> 1433 lb (650 kg)<\/td> 1543 lb (700 kg)<\/td> 1873 lb (850 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n What is the heaviest horse in the world?<\/h3>\n
How do we measure the weight of a horse?<\/h3>\n
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What happens if a horse gets fat?<\/h4>\n