How much does a horse weigh ? You need to know
The weight of horses varies from one breed to another, and the weight may also differ from one horse to another within the same breed, depending on the height of the horse, the muscle mass, the density of bones in his body, and its use, and because the breeds of horses are so many, we will be satisfied with an average width of some of them, as the average weight ranges The dwarf horse (Sisi) (pony) ranges between 200-400 kg, while the weight of the draft horse (Draught) ranges between 700-850 kg, and the Thoroughbred horse used as a racing horse ranges between 400-600 kg. The weight of the Arabian horse ranges between 400-500 kilograms.
Learn: How long can a horse run
Methods for determining horse weight
It is important for the breeder to be able to know the weight of the horses he owns; Because this gives him a general indication of the health of the horse, and helps him determine the amount of drug the horse needs when suffering from a specific disease, and the weight of the horse can be determined precisely by using the scale for cattle, which is usually available in veterinary clinics or places of sale of barns. Horse in an approximate way in several ways, including :
Using a truck scale :
The weight of the horse can be estimated by measuring the weight of an empty trailer using a truck scale, then measuring the weight of the trailer with the horse inside, as the weight of the horse equals the difference between the two results, and one of the disadvantages of this method is that it is difficult to implement, with the possibility of an error of between 9 - 18 kilograms.
Using a weight tape :
The weight tape can be used to determine the weight of the horse in an approximate way, and this is by wrapping the tape around the front of the horse's back, and tying it from the bottom behind his front feet, and taking the reading when he exhales, and one of the disadvantages of this method is that it does not Suitable for measuring the weight of dwarf horse and small horse pony .
Using a tape measure :
A tape measure is used to measure the circumference of the horse’s chest, as in the previous method, and to determine its length, which is the distance from the beginning of the shoulder to the buttocks, then estimate its weight in pounds using the following equation: (Chest circumference size (inch) * chest circumference (inch) * Body Length (inches)) / 330.
Estimating a horse's body condition according to the point system A horse's health status can be assessed by knowing the amount of muscle and fat in six basic areas of his body, and fats can be distinguished from their spongy texture when they are sensitized, while the muscles are more rigid, and these six areas are: the neck, and the area extending on both sides of the bone of the bone and the spine, The shoulders, ribs, the hip area, the top of the tail, and the buttocks area from behind, and to assess the condition of the horse, some use a scale from 0-5 points, as a horse that scores (0) points is a lean horse, and a horse that scores (5) points is a fat horse He suffers from multiple health problems, while a horse that scores 3 points is a horse with a healthy weight. Besides, some may use a scale of 1-9 points to find out the health of the horse, as follows :
One point: a very lean horse.
Two points: a very skinny horse.
3 points: a skinny horse.
4 points: a moderately thin horse.
5 points: a moderate horse.
6 points: a horse that is moderately full.
7 points: a chubby horse.
8 points: a fat horse
9 points: a very fat horse.
How much does an Arabian horse weigh ?
The Arabian horse is characterized by the presence of a small head with a rather long neck, a broad forehead, small ears at the top of the head, large eyes and a nose with large openings, and it has a very large body that contains the members of the horse’s body Its rib cage is very large and its lungs are wide, and at the end of the horse’s body there is a long tail with smooth and silky hair, and soft hair is also found on its neck, and the Arabian horse stands on four long legs with wide hooves, which are usually covered with an iron horse shoe, and the Arabian horses are distinguished by their musclesThe strong force that helps it to run fast for long distances without being stressed or tired with a person on it or dragging it to the wooden carriages, and the height of the Arabian horse reaches between 145 to 155 cm to the shoulders, which is classified as horses longer than other types of horses of length To 147 cm, and the Arabian horse is characterized by greater bone density compared to the bone density of other horses, which makes the smallest Arab horse to bear a heavy rider on his back, and to know how much the weight of an Arab horse, or to answer the question: "How much does an Arabian horse weigh?" its weight ranges between 350 to 460 kilograms, and it seems that this weight is less than the weights of other horses of the various breeds spread in the world, but it increases the ability of the Arabian horse to bear heavy weights, the Arabian horse is lightweight and its movement is faster and starts at a faster speed The Arabian horse lives at an average age ranging from 25 to 30 years.
How much does a average horse weigh ?
The horse’s weight in general is between 380 and 550 kilograms, but the purebred Arabian horse weighs less than that as it is characterized by agility and the Arabian horse weighs between 350 and 400 kilograms, and the length of the horse ranges between 142 and 163 cm, and the horse lives between 25 to 35 years old, horse colors are white, black, brown and gold.
How many kilos a horse can carry ?
Recent scientific experiments have proven that a horse can carry a quarter of its weight or 30% of its weight at most, but what does that mean, this means that a horse who weighs 500 kilograms can carry between 125 and 150 kilograms at most on his back.But if the horse is loaded with a load beyond its capacity, it cannot bear it and it has a strong personality, as it rejects the load if it feels that it is too heavy for it or over its capacity, and it bounces the whole load, unlike the donkey that carries over its energies many times more.
The horse needs to drink water in sufficient quantities daily because water is one of the very important elements to maintain the health of horses and protect them from dehydration (of course, water is not from food, but it must be mentioned before we deal with other types of food).
Horses need from twenty to fifty liters of water a day, and you must make sure that the horse drinks water regularly, and also care must be taken to change the water daily so that the horse gets clean water.
Carbohydrates are two of the essential nutrients for the horse and are found in grass and hay , and the horse eats a large amount of grass and hay daily because they are considered the basic food for horses.
The horse needs to eat an amount of hay daily ranging from seven to nine kilograms, so make sure that there is sufficient quantities of hay next to the horse throughout the day, and the hay must be fresh and completely free of dust and fungi by purchasing it from a reliable source.
There are other foods that contain carbohydrates, such as oats and barley, but your horse should eat them in limited amounts.
Offer the horse a small amount of grains per day (a quarter of a kilo per 100 kilos of the horse's body), for example if the horse weighs 600 kilos, feed him about one and a half kilograms of grains per day and it is advisable to divide this meal once or twice a day.
If the weather is too hot, be sure to offer the grain to the horse in the cooler hours in the morning.
Nutritional supplements provide the horse with nutrients that may be missing in his food, such as minerals, vitamins, and proteins.These elements have an important role in maintaining the health of the horse, but in specific quantities, so you should not be overbearing in giving these nutritional supplements to the horse in order not to lead to adverse results.
It is possible to give a horse gifts such as green beans, celery, carrots, or apples, but these gifts should be in limited quantities.
Important Notes
Before feeding the horse, you must take into account any changes in the daily diet. For example, if the horse is outside the stable most of the day, it will eat a large amount of grass and therefore you will not need to provide much hay that day.
If the horse does strenuous work throughout the day, you must increase the amount of food that day so that the horse can compensate for this energy expended.
That is, the horse’s diet may vary from day to day depending on the amount of grass that the horse ate in addition to the amount of activities he did throughout the day, and therefore the food provided to the horse must be reduced or increased accordingly.
Do not feed the horse immediately before or after work. If you intend to ride the horse for a short period of time or intend to teach him some exercises, you must give him food at least an hour before it. It is also not advisable to give him food immediately after the end of work, but you must also wait for an hour Then give him food.
The reason for this is that strenuous physical activity reduces blood flow to the digestive system, which interferes with the horse's ability to digest.
If the work the horse did was excessively hard, you might have to wait up to three hours before serving.
