A Horse Is Measured in Hands to the Withers
A horse is a large domesticated hoofed animal. Its height is measured in hands, from the ground to the withers, not the head.
A horse is a large hoofed mammal domesticated for riding and draught work. Its height is measured in *hands* of four inches each, taken from the ground to the *withers*, the ridge between the shoulder blades — not the head, which moves. A horse of 16.2 hands is sixteen hands and two inches, so the decimal point is not a decimal at all. Under about 14.2 hands the animal is usually called a pony.
- A hoofed mammal. *A grey horse.*
- Hand — four inches. *Sixteen hands high.*
- Withers — where height is measured. *The withers.*
- Pony — under 14.2 hands. *A Shetland pony.*
- Equine — the adjective. *Equine dentistry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | horse | A bay horse. |
| Plural | horses | Six horses. |
| Adjective | equine | Equine health. |
| Compound | horseback | On horseback. |
| Old English | hors | A horse. |
- The horse stands 16.2 hands.Measurement.
- Under 14.2 hands it is a pony.Classification.
- Straight from the horse's mouth.Idiom.
Horse idioms
- Straight from the horse's mouth — from checking a horse's teeth for age
- Don't look a gift horse in the mouth — the same practice
- Hold your horses — wait
- Flogging a dead horse — persisting pointlessly
- One-horse town — small and dull
Old English *hors*, from a Germanic root of uncertain earlier origin, unrelated to Latin *equus*.
Why is 16.2 hands not sixteen point two?
The figure after the point counts inches, not tenths. A hand is four inches, so 16.2 means sixteen hands and two inches.
Where does straight from the horse's mouth come from?
From judging a horse's age by its teeth. Checking the mouth gives a more reliable answer than asking the seller.