The Egyptians designed measurement techniques thousands of years ago: one of these, still widely used today, in Anglo-Saxon countries, is the span, used to measure the height of horses (1 span = 10 cm approximately): generally, however, the rest of the world uses the meter. In both cases, to find out how tall a horse is, a linear measurement is taken, from the ground to the withers.
Steps
Step 1. Purchase a measuring rod for horses, in cm or spans; if this is not possible, any meter can be fine
These gadgets can be found on the market in shops dedicated to horse riding (saddlery), pet stores, or even on the internet
Step 2. Make sure the horse's legs are both level
Step 3. Place the rod or tape measure on the same level as the foot, and stretch it until it reaches the withers
- The withers is located between the shoulders of the horse, more precisely, between the neck and the rump, and is defined, for practicality, the highest point. In reality, it is the upper part of the head (also called the sincipite) that is placed higher, but, as this rises and falls frequently, it is difficult to measure it precisely.
- Stretch the tape measure up to the highest point of the withers, that is, until it touches the bony crest between the shoulder blades.
Step 4. Make a note of the measurement
- If you have used a measuring tool, you already have the final result, otherwise you will have to do a conversion, for example, if, for convenience, you have measured in spans, you will have to convert the result in cm.
- A span is about 10 cm, so you have to multiply the obtained measurement by 10. Example, if the horse is 17 spans tall, multiply 17 by 10. The result is about 170 cm.
Advice
- If measured in spans, when the height of the horse involves half a measure, it is indicated with a.2 and not a.5 (for example 16.2 spans).
- A measuring rod (in cm or spans) is the most convenient tool for obtaining an accurate data.
- A horse that measures less than 1.49 meters (14.3 spans) at the withers, by definition, is called a pony, regardless of its breed.
- The span is the most used unit of measure for measuring the height of horses in the United States, England and Canada. For almost all other countries, the metric system is generally used.
- The height of the horse averages about 1.63 meters (16 spans).
