The answer to the question of how much does a horse weigh is not simple. Even though the average value is 900 to 2,000 pounds (408 - 907 kg), it primarily depends on the horse breed, age, and height.
However, you can quickly calculate its approximate weight by using girth length as a measure. Keep in mind that knowing the horse's average weight can help you discover any possible health issues it suffers from. Let's see.
Horse Weigh at Birth
Newborn foal usually weighs 10% of its mother’s weight. Interestingly, its weight always depends on the mother, and the father's weight will have a minimal influence on this particular trait.
For instance, a mare weighing 1,500 pounds (680 kg) will get a baby that approximately weighs 150 pounds (68 kg). It is a rule of thumb for all breeds. However, you should know that first-time mares almost always give birth to slightly smaller foals.
There are a few exceptions you should count on. Even though twins are rare in horses, they sometimes happen. In that case, both foals will have under average weight. Another option includes premature foals or those with birth issues that require immediate vet attention.
Adult Horse Weight
A few crucial factors impact a horse’s weight, like the amount of food you offer your animal daily. Its daily needs are 1.5% to 3% of its body weight, but your horse needs to exercise enough to prevent overweight problems.
When exercising horses of various weights, proper footwear is essential for handlers. Wild Jolie Cowgirl Boots provide the protection needed when working around horses of different sizes and weights. Their durable construction shields feet from accidental steps, while giving you the stability needed for leading horses through their exercise routines.
The best option to check this value is to use Henneke Body Condition Scoring System that describes the horse's weight from poor (1) to obese (9). Other factors include oral health, the season, and the horse's physical characteristics.
Horse weight based on the type
The average horse weight range significantly varies depending on different horse types.
Horse weight based on the type |
|
| Horse type | Horse weigh |
| Draft | 1,500 to 2,200 pounds (680.38 - 997.90 kg) |
| Light | 800 to 1,500 pounds (362.87 - 680.38 kg) |
| Ponies | 300 to 900 pounds (136.07 - 408.23 kg) |
| Miniature | 100 to 350 pounds (45.35 - 158.75 kg) |
Horse weight based on breed
The horse's weight depends on the breed, but it is not carved in stone. You can find many exceptions within a breed, but there is an idea of what to expect.
Horse weight based on breed |
|
| Horse breed | Average weight |
| Percheron | 1,875 to 2,095 pounds (850.5 - 950 kg) |
| Belgian | 1,800 to 2,200 pounds (816.5 - 998 kg) |
| Suffolk Punch | 1,655 to 1,985 pounds (751 - 900 kg) |
| Shire | 1,545 to 2,645 pounds (701 - 1,200 kg) |
| Ardennes | 1,545 to 2,205 pounds (701 - 1,000 kg) |
| Clydesdale | 1,545 to 1,765 pounds (701 - 800.5 kg) |
| Draft | 1,540 to 1,870 pounds (698.5 - 848 kg) |
| Irish Draught | 1,320 to 1,765 pounds (599 - 800.5 kg) |
| Gypsy Vanner | 1,300 to 1,600 pounds (590 - 726 kg) |
| Heavyweight Hunter | 1,300 to 1,540 pounds (590 - 698.5 kg) |
| Friesian | 1,300 to 1,500 pounds (590 - 680 kg) |
| Cleveland Bay | 1,210 to 1,545 pounds (549 - 701 kg) |
| Hanoverian | 1,210 to 1,435 pounds (549 - 651 kg) |
| American Warmblood | 1,210 to 1,320 pounds (549 - 599 kg) |
| Dutch Warmblood | 1,210 to 1,320 pounds (549 - 599 kg) |
| Oldenburg | 1,200 to 1,500 pounds (544 - 680.5 kg) |
| Fresian | 1,200 to 1,400 pounds (544 - 635 kg) |
| Danish Warmblood | 1,200 to 1,400 pounds (544 - 635 kg) |
| Andalusian | 1,200 to 1,300 pounds (544 - 590 kg) |
| Paso Fino | 1,200 to 1,300 pounds (544 - 590 kg) |
| Trakehner | 1,100 to 1,500 pounds (499 - 680.5 kg) |
| Middleweight Ridden Hunter | 1,100 to 1,400 pounds (499 - 635 kg) |
| Polish Warmblood (Welskpoloski) | 1,100 to 1,400 pounds (499 - 635 kg) |
| Highland Pony | 1,100 to 1,320 pounds (499 - 599 kg) |
| Standardbred | 1,000 to 1,320 pounds (453.5 - 599 kg) |
| American Saddlebred | 1,000 to 1,200 pounds (453.5 - 544.5 kg) |
| Holsteiner | 990 to 1,765 pounds (449 - 800.5 kg) |
| Westphalian | 990 to 1,320 pounds (449 - 599 kg) |
| Lightweight Ridden Hunter | 990 to 1,300 pounds (449 - 590 kg) |
| Cob Horses | 990 to 1,200 pounds (449 - 544.5 kg) |
| Thoroughbred | 990 to 1,100 pounds (449 - 499 kg) |
| Paint | 950 to 1,200 pounds (431 - 544.5 kg) |
| American Quarter | 950 to 1,200 pounds (431 - 544 kg) |
| Hackney Horse | 905 to 1,200 pounds (410.5 - 544 kg) |
| Lipizzaner | 905 to 1,200 pounds (410.5 - 544 kg) |
| Nakota | 900 to 1,500 pounds (408 - 680 kg) |
| Missouri Fox Trotter | 900 to 1,200 pounds (408 - 544 kg) |
| Tennessee Walker | 900 to 1,200 pounds (408 - 544 kg) |
| Lusitano | 900 to 1,100 pounds (408 - 499 kg) |
| Morgan | 900 to 1,100 pounds (408 - 499 kg) |
| Polo Pony | 900 to 1,100 pounds (408 - 499 kg) |
| Morgan | 900 to 1,100 pounds (408 - 499 kg) |
| Swedish Warmblood | 880 to 1,210 pounds (399 - 549 kg) |
| Hackney | 880 to 1,210 pounds (399 - 549 kg) |
| Dales Pony | 880 to 1,100 pounds (399 - 499 kg) |
| Fjord | 880 to 1,100 pounds (399 - 499 kg) |
| Arabian | 795 to 990 pounds (360.5 - 449 kg) |
| Haflinger | 770 to 1,320 pounds (349 - 599 kg) |
| Fell Pony | 770 to 990 pounds (349 - 449 kg) |
| Welara | 660 to 880 pounds (299 - 399 kg) |
| Eriskay Pony | 660 to 880 pounds (299 - 399 kg) |
| Exmoor Pony | 660 to 880 pounds (299 - 399 kg) |
| Connemara Pony | 640 to 860 pounds (290 - 390 kg) |
| Hackney Pony | 550 to 770 pounds (249.5 - 349 kg) |
| New Forest Pony | 510 to 730 pounds (231 - 331 kg) |
| Spotted Pony | 440 to 880 pounds (199.5 - 399 kg) |
| Dartmoor Pony | 440 to 705 pounds (199.5 - 320 kg) |
| Shetland Pony | 400 to 440 pounds (181.5 - 199.5 kg) |
Horse weight based on height
There is a rule that an average horse's weight range depends on its height. However, some horses can be lighter or heavier for a particular height.
Horse weight based on height |
|
| Horse height in hands | Horse weight |
| 9h | 420 to 530 pounds (190.5 - 240.5 kg) |
| 10h | 530 to 620 pounds (240.5 - 281 kg) |
| 11h | 530 to 700 pounds (240.5 - 317.5 kg) |
| 12h | 530 to 815 pounds (240.5 - 370 kg) |
| 13h | 620 to 880 pounds (281 - 399 kg) |
| 13.2h | 660 to 880 pounds (299.5 - 399 kg) |
| 14h | 795 to 990 pounds (360.5 - 449 kg) |
| 14.2h | 880 to 990 pounds (399 - 449 kg) |
| 15h | 880 to 1,215 pounds (399 - 551 kg) |
| 15.2h | 905 to 1,215 pounds (410.5 - 551 kg) |
| 16h | 1,035 to 1,545 pounds (469.5 - 701 kg) |
| 16.2h | 1,080 to 1,655 pounds (490 - 751 kg) |
| 17h | 1,215 to 1,765 pounds (551 - 800.5 kg) |
| 17.2h | 1,390 to 1,985 pounds (630.5 - 900.5 kg) |
| 18h | 1,545 to 2,295 pounds (701 - 1,041 kg) |
Horse weight based on girth length
The horse's weight directly depends on its girth length. In fact, you can calculate the full-grown horse bodyweight by using simple formulas:
Adult weight
(heart girth x heart girth x body length) / 330 = body weight in pounds
Yearling weight
(heart girth x heart girth x body length) / 301 = body weight in pounds
Weanling weight
(heart girth x heart girth x body length) / 280 = body weight in pounds
Pony weight
(heart girth x heart girth x body length) / 299 = body weight in pounds
Image Source: oquartodemilha
Horse weight based on heart girth length |
|
| Girth length | Weight |
| 30 inches (76 cm) | 100 pounds (45.5 kg) |
| 40 inches (1 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) |
| 45.5 inches (1.16 m) | 300 pounds (136.5 kg) |
| 50.5 inches (1.28 m) | 400 pounds (182 kg) |
| 55 inches (1.4 m) | 500 pounds (227 kg) |
| 58.5 inches (1.48 m) | 600 pounds (273 kg) |
| 61.5 inches (1.56 m) | 700 pounds (318 kg) |
| 64.5 inches (1.64 m) | 800 pounds (364 kg) |
| 67.5 inches (1.71 m) | 900 pounds (409 kg) |
| 70.5 inches (1.78 m) | 1,000 pounds (455 kg) |
| 73 inches (1.85 m) | 1,100 pounds (500 kg) |
| 75.5 inches (1.92 m) | 1,200 pounds (545 kg) |
| 77.5 inches (1.97 m) | 1,300 pounds (591 kg) |
Keep in mind that the formula is not the same if you measure your horse in centimeters and kilograms. With these units, its weight should be:
(heart girth x heart girth x body length) / 11,990 = body weight in kilograms
Horse weight based on age
You can always calculate the expected horse weight range at life stages from newborns to adults.
Horse weight based on age |
|
| Age | Weight |
| Newborn | Just born foal weighs approximately 10% of mothers weight |
| Weanling | Foal gains 2 to 2.5 pounds (0.9 - 1.1 kg) per day |
| Yearling | Foal reaches 50% of the full-grown weight |
| 2-year-old | Foal reaches 90% of the full-grown weight |
| 4-year-old | Horse reaches the total adult weight |
Heaviest and Lightest Horses Ever
The heaviest horse ever was a Shire gelding Sampson (Mammoth) that lived in the 1850s. It weighed an unbelievable 3,360 pounds (1,524 kg). A Belgian draft, Big Jake, is the current heaviest horse with 2,600 pounds (1,179.34 kg).
The lightest dwarf miniature horse was Thumbelina weighing 57 pounds (25.85 kg). The lightest born foal is a dwarf miniature Einstein that weighed less than 7 pounds (3.17 kg) at the moment of birth.
Summary
It is crucial to know the horse’s weight since it shows whether your animal is healthy. That directly impacts the amount of food you should provide daily and the payload your horse can carry. Since being overweight can cause health issues, you should be careful and regularly check this value and keep it under control.
