What is it?
2006-09-28 11:37:49 · 19 answers · asked by Phoenix R 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
A 'hand' is a measurement, approx four inches the width of a man's hand. If a horse is sixteen hands he is 16 x 4 = 64 inches at the withers.
2006-09-28 11:41:41 · answer #1 · answered by sunsetigerlily 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is your hand used to measure the height of a horse. a horse is measured from the ground to the top of the withers witch is at the base of the neck of the horse. Back in the older days, they didn't have tape measures so they took the average size hand which is about 5 inches tall (fingers pointing out not up) and used it to measure the horse. Hope this helps.
2006-09-28 11:50:16 · answer #2 · answered by dhwilson58 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A "hand" is the measured length from the prominent whithers to the ground to find the height of the horse.
One hand consist of 4 inches. If a horse was 15 hands tall, the horse would consist of 60" inches.
2006-09-28 19:38:06 · answer #3 · answered by Mutchkin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an old English form of measurement. It's equivalent to 4 inches. For example, a horse that is 16hands is 64 inches tall at the withers. A horse that is 16.2 hands tall is 66 inches tall at the withers. Each point measurement after the full hand is equivalent to an inch. There is not such thing as .4 hands or up. You can have a horse that is 16hh, 16.1hh, 16.3hh, or 17hh. No 16.4, or the ever common 16.5 (that's when you know a person does not know what they're talking about.)
2006-09-28 11:44:28 · answer #4 · answered by Carson 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A hand is a unit of measurement (approx. 4 inches) measured from the ground to the withers (at the base of the neck). Ponies are about 15 hands, anything taller than that is a horse.
2006-09-28 11:43:02 · answer #5 · answered by infernal_seamonkey 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A Hand is a form of measuring how tall a horse is.
2006-09-28 11:45:56 · answer #6 · answered by Rodney K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a hand is used to measure a horses height as everyone has told you, but it is not just a hand or 6inches or anything else, in the horse world a hand equals 4in, and this is the correct amount in every breed......it is measured from the ground to the top of the withers, hope this has helped you...
2006-09-28 18:19:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
lol, Carson is right on the money.
Anybody who says that they have a 15.5 or 16.5 hand horse, I know immediately that they're idiots who don't know crap.
Also, ponies are labeled as such as long as they are 14.2 and under. Horses are 14.3 and up. Some quarter horses are 14.2 and under so they are usually called Quarter Ponies instead.
Carson should get the best answer, 10 points!
2006-09-29 06:07:21 · answer #8 · answered by keylime1602 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if u say, "this horse is 15 hands high", that means it is, well, 15 hands high. Like if a grown man measured a horse with his hands...
2006-09-28 12:23:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A hand is a form of measurement for horses. It is approx. 4 inches. You measure from withers to hoof.
2006-09-28 13:27:02 · answer #10 · answered by trblmkr909 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋