How to Measure a Horse's Height

The unit horses are measured by height in are called hands. hh is short for hands. 

1 Hand = 4 Inches

It's very easy to measure a horse's height. You just need a long tape measure, place the end of it (where the centimeters start at 1cm) and hold the end down with your foot on the ground. Then hold the other end of the measuring tape and run it straight up against the horse's shoulder, and take the measurement from the highest point of the horse's withers. 

You measure a horse's height up to it's withers. 

The withers are the end of the mane and just above the shoulder. 

To explain it simpler, 'you measure from the ground up to the highest point of the withers with a measuring tape.' The green line below beside the horse is where the measuring tape must be in order to have an accurate measurement. 

Instead of just using a normal measuring tape, you can actually buy measuring tapes specially created to measure a horse's height. So instead of only centimeters and inches, they have inches, centimeters, and hands. Here's a photo of one:

You can usually buy these measuring tapes from horse stores, like Horse Land, Greg Grant Saddlery etc. They range between $12 and $19 each. 

I hope you found this article helpful. :) 

If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.