How to Measure a Horse's Height

and are hard to hold taut enough to get an accurate measure. Someone has to hold the bottom against the ground while another person eyes up the measurement at the horses withers. You cant lay the tape against the horse. It must stay perfectly perpendicular to the ground. Often height tapes are printed with a weight tape on the opposite side.
A regular tape measure can also be used to measure height but comes with the same problems as the height tape. Additionally metal tape measures make rattling noises horses sometimes object to making it difficult to get the horse to stand still for a measurement.
Probably the easiest homemade measuring device is a piece of binder twine tied to a large metal nut or washer. The weight of the metal will hold the string steady while the handler eyes up the withers and marks the twinea magic marker will do the trick here. Then the length from the bottom of the washer to the mark on the twine is measured. Another trick is to use a yardstick piece of lath or even a whip to make it easier to get a line from the twine to the withers. Just hold the yardstick so it is sitting on the horses withers parallel to the ground and note where it hits the tape.
How to Measure
To measure your horse have it stand square on a level surface. Hold the tape or stick perpendicular to the ground and beside the horse and even with the top point of the horses withers. If you are using a proper measuring stick lower the bar so it meets the top of the horses withers. Take note of the measurement. If you can only measure in inches divide the inches by 4 and calculate the remaining inches. So 62 inches would be 15 hands plus 2 inches or 15 2 HH.
If the height is the determining factor of whether your horse will compete in horse or pony events you may have to take horseshoes into account. Shoes can easily put a pony over the official height and you need to find out if allowances are made for shod ponies. If you require a horse of a specific height or need to qualify a horses height youll need to know if the measurement includes shoes or not.