04/01/2026
How much does your horse weigh? While monitoring your horse's weight is important for any horse owner, it's particularly important for owners of metabolic horses. As we get into the spring season, analyzing your insulin-resistant horse's weight allows you to adjust his diet and take precautionary measures before the rich spring grass starts to come in.
When evaluating your horse's weight, review the areas highlighted in the image below. Weight tapes are a convenient and easily available way to estimate your horse's weight, but keep in mind that they can be imprecise. Therefore, it's best to use your eyes and hands to assess your horse's body condition, as well as use a weight tape.
1) Simply wrap the tape around the horse’s heart girth (around the highest point of the withers and as close behind the elbows as possible)
2) Read the number where the two ends of the tape meet.
3) To get more consistency in your measurement, measure several times.
Note: Make sure you use the same weight tape every time, and pay attention to the overall trend instead of relying on the individual number.
Learn other ways to evaluate your horse's weight at the link in the comments.
