Horse Weight Calculator
Estimate your horse's weight from heart girth and body length in inches or cm using the weight tape formula.
Accurate to within 5% of scale weight.
Estimating a horse’s weight without a scale is essential for proper feeding, medication dosing, and health monitoring. The heart girth method is the most widely used and reasonably accurate technique.
The formula (adult horses):
Weight (lbs) = (Heart Girth² × Body Length) / 330
The formula (ponies):
Weight (lbs) = (Heart Girth² × Body Length) / 299
How to measure:
- Heart girth: Measure around the horse’s barrel, just behind the elbow and withers. Use a flexible tape measure pulled snug but not tight. Measure in inches.
- Body length: Measure from the point of the shoulder (where the neck meets the chest) to the point of the buttock (tuber ischii). Measure in inches.
Accuracy: This method is typically accurate within 5-10% for most horses. Very thin or very obese horses may fall outside this range.
Average weights by type:
- Light pony (under 12 hands): 400-600 lbs (180-270 kg)
- Welsh/large pony (12-14 hands): 600-900 lbs (270-410 kg)
- Light riding horse (14-16 hands): 900-1,100 lbs (410-500 kg)
- Warmblood (16-17 hands): 1,100-1,400 lbs (500-635 kg)
- Draft horse (17+ hands): 1,500-2,200 lbs (680-1,000 kg)
Why weight matters:
- Dewormer dosing is based on weight. Underdosing is ineffective; overdosing can be harmful.
- Feed amounts are typically 1.5-2.5% of body weight per day in forage.
- Weight changes over time indicate health status. A loss of more than 5% warrants veterinary attention.
- Rider weight should ideally not exceed 20% of the horse’s weight.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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