The big powerful build of a horse can sometimes scare people, but these majestic creatures are calm.Horses have always lived with humans century after century and these hoofed animals have been standing till today. Roaming the earth for about 50 million years now, most of the horses alive today are domesticated and are descendants of extinct wild horses.The oldest horses known evolved out of North America to the rest of the world before becoming extinct in North America around 10,000 years ago. Every breed domesticated belongs to one single species: Equus caballus. This includes feral populations of horses living in the wild. Although some researchers claim that modern horses were probably domesticated in central Asia between 3000 to 4000 BC, it has been found that the DNA of horses is diverse.It points to the fact that horses were domesticated in more than a single place and evolved from many different wild populations and horse breeds in the world. In older times, horses were kept for their meat and milk as people living in central Asian regions still consumed horse meat. A few years later, horses became more common and domesticated as people started using them as a means of transport, horse racing, and other activities. Horses are very obedient and loving and you will love every second of time spent with horses. In the wild, they are known to follow the most dominant horse in the group. Domesticated horses form this bond with their owners and listen to everything they say.Horses are muscular animals with coarse hair on long tails. Horses have a long and thick neck with a mane down the midline. Their head and skull are elongated. There are many different horse breeds with different coat colors, sizes, and hair. These different breeds have been achieved by selective breeding orchestrated by humans. Horses range between 2-5 ft (0.6-1.5 m) in height. The animals weigh between 120-2200 lb (54.4-998 kg). A standard adult horse is known to measure around 14-17 hands at the withers. Some horses are known for measuring around 18 hands while smaller horse breeds are known for measuring around 8-9 hands.Draft horses are the largest horse breeds in the world. Draft horse breeds include Clydesdale, Belgian, Shire, and Percheron. They are used to carry heavy loads. The smallest of the horses are Falabella, the miniature horse, and the Shetland pony. They might be small but are quite strong for their size. Horses possess four main movement patterns, also referred to as gaits, including walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Gallop is considered a horse’s fastest gait.To measure the height, a height-measuring stick or an average height tape is held from the ground to the top of the withers behind the horse’s front foreleg. This height is measured in hands. If the average height of a horse is 15.4 hands, it actually denotes 15 hands and 4 in (10 cm). We will discuss more on this chart. The tallest horse alive in the world is the Belgian gelding standing at a height of 7 ft (2 m).The tallest horse ever in the world was a Shire gelding in the 19th century, called Sampson. The horse was known for standing at a height of 7 ft (2 m) The world’s smallest horse is a dwarf miniature horse named Thumbelina. The horse stands at a height of 17 in (43 cm). At last, the smallest foal recorded measured 14 in (35.5 cm) at birth. It was part of the miniature horses breed and was named Einstein.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about how many stomachs does a horse have and how fast can a horse run here on Kidadl?What is the average height of a horse?An average horse can be of any size, big or small, but a horse breed usually falls in the middle. An average horse will be around 5 ft (1.5 m) in height.The height of a horse is generally not calculated in inches. The size of a small horse or a large breed will always be calculated in hands. The average height, which is 5 ft (1.5 m), is called 15 hands. There are so many different horse breeds and species available that it is really difficult to determine the average. There are many tiny ponies and miniature horses that are smaller than the average. It is always better to find the best horse breed as there are so many, each with a unique horse height. The draft horse is considered to be the largest in the world. Clydesdale, Belgian, Shire, and Percheron all fall in the category of draft horses. Let us look at some of the common breeds found in the world.The Shetland pony is a small pony around 40 in (101.6 cm) tall. This is not the tallest among the breeds and the measurement of this breed is calculated in inches, instead of hands. It is so small you can even chart the horse with tape.The Falabella is a small horse (miniature horse breed) from Argentina and is even said to be the smallest horse breed in the world. This small breed can be as short as 25 in (63.5 cm) when mature. The breed will never cross 32 in (81.2 cm). Bring out your tape to measure this small beautiful breed!The American miniature horse is a smaller version of a full-grown horse as the name suggests. This small version of a horse (that can be compared to a pony) has been achieved with hundreds of years of selective breeding. Most horses in the breed are around 32 in (81.2 cm), however, they usually stand 34 in (86.3 cm) tall.Paint horses stand around 14.2-15.2 hands tall. This measurement is around 62 in (157.4 cm). Paint horses can be taller when developed using thoroughbred genes. Thoroughbred horses are lean and strong horses that are generally around 16 hands tall. These horses are used primarily for racing, so it’s fairly easy to say that the animal is known for pulling the weight of the rider.Quarter horses have the largest registry in the world and are among the most popular breeds in the world. These horses stand at around 16 hands.The Arabian horse has an average height of around 15.1 in (38.3 cm).The Shire horse is a draft horse and is the biggest horse breed in the world. The tallest horse in history with a Guinness World Record is a shire named Sampson with a height of 21.2 hands.The Percheron horse is also a draft horse and is considered the fourth largest horse in the world. This breed originated from France and is the most elegant-looking of all the breeds. This horse’s body was strong enough to pull thousands of pounds of weight.The Belgian horse breed has a range of some of the biggest horses in the world. Belgian horses are known for weighing around 2000 lb (907 kg). They are taller than most. They are tall at a height of around 16-17 hands.Clydesdale horses are one of the biggest horse breeds in the world. They are known for weighing around 2200 lb (998 kg). The horses of this breed are known for being around 19 hands tall, however, the average height is around 18 hands or 72 in (182.8 cm).Why are horses measured in hands?The height of horses is always measured in hands instead of traditional size calculations like inches and meters. Be it a pony or a tall horse, all are known by their hands.In ancient societies, the units to judge the size of a horse’s body were not available and ponies and horses were sized with the use of hands. This tradition of calculating the length and height of a horse with the help of hands has passed on to the present day. The equine world always uses hands, with one hand making 4 in (10 cm). So, a 15 hands horse would be 60 in (152.4 cm) tall. Most English-speaking countries like the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, and many others still use hands as the primary size calculation of a horse’s body, while many European countries use meters as the standard measurement unit.How To Measure A Horse AccuratelyA new tip, stand your horses or ponies on a level flat surface and measure the animals from the ground to the withers.Withers are actually the highest point on the back of a horse, be it an adult or a young horse. Due to the stability, withers are used to measure the height. As the ponies and horses move a lot, their head is not recommended as a point of measurement. The head moves up and down a lot and is unfit to find the height.A tape is enough to measure the length and height of a horse, but it might be hard measuring a horse that will not remain stable. Using a measuring stick is the easiest to measure the body of a horse. It was used many years ago and is still being used today. It is a long bar with markings and is used with a horizontal bar that slides up and down the rod. The markings on the stick give accurate measurements of hands, meters, and centimeters.Choosing Horse Size Based On Rider HeightIf the rider is too tall for a horse, it might be hard to balance and the rider will just feel top-heavy.Each horse is different, and to determine if you are compatible with riding, you will first need to click a lot of pictures atop different breeds. The size is different between young and adult horses, and from breed to breed. It is important to see how well the horse’s barrel takes up your leg. This will make you proportionate which will help in keeping balance too.Choosing The Right Sized Horse Based on Rider WeightFinding the right horse that is compatible according to your height and weight is the key to riding and, if not maintained, it might cause harm to the horse. If the horse is too big, the rider may not be able to control it while riding.If horses weigh at least seven times their rider, that should be perfect. This will mean that the horse will be able to carry the rider along with the heaviest western saddle available. For example, if the horse is around 1300 lb (589.6 kg), it can carry a maximum weight of 264 lb (119.7 kg). However, this weight is not just of the rider, but also of the trail accessories and the western saddle.Tallest Living Horse in the WorldHorses are found in many different shapes, colors, and sizes and Big Jake is the biggest of them all.Big Jake was a Belgian gelding horse of around 20 hands tall. After Sampson, Big Jake was the second tallest horse in history. The horse from Nebraska holds the record for the world’s tallest living horse in 2010. He unfortunately died in June 2021.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘How big is a horse?’ then why not take a look at ‘How far can a horse travel in a day?’ or ‘Why do dogs shake?’.
The big powerful build of a horse can sometimes scare people, but these majestic creatures are calm.
