Horse Height Converter

Horse height questions, answered

How do you read a horse's height in hands?

Hands are written in base-4 notation, not as decimals. The number before the point is whole hands, and one hand is 4 inches; the digit after the point is the leftover inches, so it only runs from 0 to 3. So 15.2hh means 15 hands plus 2 inches, which is 62 inches, or about 157.5 centimeters. Height is measured at the withers, the high point between the shoulder blades.

At what height is a horse considered a pony?

The dividing line sits right around 14.2 hands. The FEI defines a pony as a horse whose height at the withers does not exceed 148 cm without shoes, or 149 cm with shoes. 14.2hh is 58 inches, about 147.3 cm, just under that line. US Equestrian splits ponies further into small (not over 12.2hh), medium (not over 13.2hh), and large (not over 14.2hh); a horse measuring 14.3hh, about 149.9 cm, competes in horse divisions.

Is 16 hands a tall horse, and what is it suited for?

16 hands is 64 inches, about 162.6 cm — the popular mid-to-large size for adult sport horses. Most hunters, jumpers, and eventers stand around or just over 16hh and are usually Warmbloods or Thoroughbreds, though smaller horses, even down to 14.1hh, have competed at the highest levels. For most adult riders, roughly 15.2hh to 16.2hh covers the sweet spot of stride, scope, and rideability.

Why isn't 15.4hh a valid height?

Because the digit after the point counts inches, and a hand only has 4 inches. Valid endings are .0, .1, .2, and .3 — once you reach the fourth inch it rolls over to the next whole hand. So what someone writes as 15.4hh is really 16.0hh, or 64 inches.

Where is a horse's height measured?

At the withers — the ridge between the shoulder blades — with the horse standing squarely on a hard, level surface. Official measurements are taken without shoes, or with a small allowance for shoes, which is why the same horse can be listed slightly differently depending on the measuring standard.