Horse Height Statistics

Horse height is determined by several factors, so it can range dramatically. Height, measured in hands, is ruled by genetics and how the horse is cared for at a young age. While the average height for many horse breeds ranges from 14 hands to 16 hands, there are always extreme exceptions in every breed. The smallest horses stand just a few feet off the ground, while the largest can tower over the above-average human.

  1. Understanding Horse Height

    • Horses are measured in units called hands. One hand represents four inches of height. If a horse is said to be fourteen hands, written as 14h or 14hh, that means the horse is fifty-six inches tall. Parts of the whole unit are also considered; 14.2hh means that the horse is fourteen hands high and two additional inches, making him fifty-eight inches tall. However, it is wrong to say a horse is 14.4hh. The decimals indicate additional inches, and as there are four inches in a hand, an additional four inches means another whole hand. The horse would be 15hh (or sixty inches tall). Height is measured from the withers, the high point above the shoulder and on most horses marked by the last hair root in the mane. In order to properly measure a horse, the animal should be standing on a hard, level surface and a measuring stick with a level should be used.

    What Affects the Height of a Horse

    • The ultimate factor in determining the height of a horse is genetics. While established breeds have guidelines that indicate the average height for those types of horses, there are many different genetic variations even within particular breeds that make it difficult to pinpoint a median size. Every horse has a growth potential that it can reach, set by the animal's genetics. Other factors, like nutrition and exercise, help determine whether or not that potential can be fully actualized. Poor nutrition in young horses can restrict proper skeletal growth and lead to smaller, weaker adults. High-intensity exercise can also cause the skeletal system to be limited in growth due to too much stress.

    Average Heights of Horses

    • Horses come in such a wide variety of heights. However, particular breeds define a height range into which most members of that breed will fit. The American Quarter Horse ranges from 14hh to 16hh. The Arabian is slightly smaller, standing around 14hh to 15.3hh. The Standardbred has a more specific average of 15.3hh, while the Thoroughbred will usually range from 15.3hh to 17hh. Larger breeds, classified as draft horses like the Belgian, Clydesdale and Percheron, measure from 16hh to 19hh. Smaller breeds, considered ponies, include the Welsh (13.2hh), the Icelandic (12hh to 14hh), and the Shetland, which is so small that it is measured in inches instead of hands (28 to 46 inches).

    Extreme Heights: Smallest and Tallest

    • Currently, a Miniature Horse named Thumbelina is considered the world's smallest horse. She stands at a mere seventeen and a half inches tall, which also makes her the smallest horse ever recorded. There is more debate over what horse holds the title of world's tallest living horse. As of 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records had given that honor to a Belgian gelding from Wisconsin named Big Jake who is 20.2hh, or just shy of six feet and eleven inches at the withers.