It is difficult to answer the question, “How much does a horse weight?” The average horse weighs between 900 and 2,000 pounds (408 to 907 kg), but it depends on breed, age, height, and gender.
You can calculate the horse’s approximate weight quickly by measuring its circumference. Knowing the horse’s average weight, you can find out if it has any health problems. Let’s see.
Horses Weigh at Birth
A foal born to a mother usually weighs 10% less than its mother. It is important to note that the foal’s weight depends on its mother. The father’s weight has a minimal influence.
A mare weighing 1,500 pounds (680kg) will have a baby weighing approximately 150 pounds (68kg). This is the general rule for all breeds. You should know that almost all first-time mares give birth to more miniature foals.
There are some exceptions that you can count on. Although twins in horses are uncommon, they can sometimes occur. If this happens, the foals will be underweight. Premature foals and those born with immediate vet attention are other options.
Adult Horse Weight
There are a few key factors that can impact horse weight. These include the amount of food your horse eats daily. Horses need 1.5% to 3.3% of their body weight daily. However, horses should exercise enough to avoid becoming overweight.
Henneke’s Body Condition Scoring System is the best way to determine this value. It describes the horse’s weight, from low (1) to high (9). Other factors include the horse’s oral health, season, and physical characteristics.
Horse weight based on the type
Depending on the horse type, the average horse weight can vary significantly.
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
Horse weight is dependent on the breed. However, it is not fixed in stone. There are many exceptions to a breed’s rules, but it is possible to get an idea of what you can 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
The average horse’s weight depends on its height. Some horses may be heavier or lighter, depending on their 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 length of the horse’s girth directly affects its weight. Using simple formulas, you can even calculate the horse’s full-grown body weight.
Adult Weight
(heart girth, heart girth, and body length) = 330 = bodyweight in pounds
Yearling Weight
(heart girthxbody length) = body weight in pounds
Weanling Weight
(heart girth, heart girth, and body length) = 280 = bodyweight in pounds
Pony Weight
(heart girthxbody length) = 299 = bodyweight in pounds
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) |
Remember that the formula only works if your horse is measured in kilograms or centimeters. These units should determine the horse’s weight.
(heart girthxbody length) = body weight in kilograms
Horse weight based on age
It is possible to calculate the expected horse weight range for each life stage, 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
A Shire gelding Sampson (Mammoth), who lived in the 1850s, was the heaviest horse ever to live. It weighed in at an incredible 3,360 pounds (1.5224 kg). Big Jake, a Belgian draft horse, is currently the heaviest horse at 2,600 pounds (1.179.34 kilogram).
Thumbelina, a dwarf miniature horse that weighed 57 pounds (25.85 kilograms), was the lightest. A dwarf miniature Einstein, weighing less than 7 pounds (3.17kg) at birth, is the lightest foal.
Summary
Knowing your horse’s weight is vital as it will tell you if they are healthy. This directly affects the amount of food your horse can eat daily and the payload it can carry. Being overweight can lead to health problems. You should monitor this value regularly and control it.