How to work out your horse's weight

Weighing your horse

Weighing your horse on a scale is the surest way to get an accurate result. If you visit a horse clinic with a scale, take the opportunity to weigh them. There are also mobile scales that can check the weight of your horse. You'll need to look online to find something near you.

How to calculate your horse's weight without a scale

If you don't have access to a scale, there are two formulas you can use to calculate your horse's weight. Using a formula won't be as accurate as using a scale, but it can be very useful

Several measurements are taken into account and give a good weight estimate regardless of the horse's exterior, conformation and breed.

There are also special measuring tapes, but these only take one measure into account and thereby do not correct for exterior, conformation or breed. We recommend using the formulas rather than the tape.

Calculate the horse's weight as follows:

Get your horse to stand on a flat surface

Make sure they stand with their weight evenly distributed on all four legs

Take the measurements according to the formula you want to use. Measurements can change when your horse moves or shifts their weight, so try to take each measurement 3 times and calculate the average value. This should give you a more accurate and reliable result.

Insert the measurements into the formula and calculate the horse's weight.

Formula 1

Weight = (4.3 x lance mark circumference in cm) + (3.0 x withers height in cm) - 785

• Lance mark circumference is measured from the pit (the mark after the knight's lance) in front of the withers and around the torso.
• Withers height is measured perpendicular to the ground to the highest height of the withers.

Formula 2

Weight = chest measurement in cm x chest measurement in cm x length measurement in cm. The sum is then divided by 8900 to get the calculated weight.

• Chest girth is the measurement behind the withers and elbow around the torso.
• The length is measured from the elbow to the humerus.

Average horse weights per breed

Guidelines for body weight in different horse breeds: