How Much Does the Average Horse Weigh? (Charts Included)

The Weight of a Horse 

Do you own a horse? If that’s the case, how much does the average horse weigh? It is surprising to learn that the solution is not as simple as you assume. Breed, sex, and age are just a few elements that determine how much a horse weighs.

weighing scale

How Much Do Horses Weigh During Birth?

How heavy is a horse during birth? The weight of a newborn foal is usually 10% that of its mother. Surprisingly, the mother always determines its weight, and the father’s weight only impacts this attribute.

For example, a mare weighing 1,500lb (680kg) will have a kid weighing around 150lb (68kg). It is a general rule that applies to all breeds. You should be aware, however, that first-time mares nearly often give birth to smaller foals.

You should be mindful of a few exceptions to this rule. Even though twins in horses are uncommon, they do occur. Both foals will be underweight in this situation. Another alternative is premature foals or those with birth difficulties requiring prompt veterinary attention.

How Much Does the Average Horse Weigh? (Adult)

The amount of food you feed your horse daily is one of the most important things that affect its weight. Your horse’s daily requirements are 1.5% to 3% of its body weight, but it must exercise adequately to avoid overweight concerns.

The Henneke Body Condition Scoring System, which rates a horse’s weight from poor (1) to obese (9), is the best way to determine this figure. Oral health, the season, and the horse’s physical traits are all things to consider.

Factors Affecting a Horse’s Weight

Various factors determine the weight of a horse, including the horse’s breed, age, and amount of exercise. When trying to keep your horse at a healthy weight, it’s critical to be mindful of these aspects.

Since there are so many sorts of horses, such as draft horses, pleasure horses, and sport horses, determining an average horse’s weight is difficult. 

Horses’ weight varies depending on their breeds, age, diet, and exercise. Quarter horses don’t usually weigh as much as Clydesdales or Belgians. And not every quarter horse has the same body. The ones used in halter competitions are huge and muscular.

On the other hand, a racing quarter horse is leaner and has finer bones. Horse weight fluctuates according to the season. Horses lose weight throughout the winter because their bodies consume calories to stay warm.

In the summer, horses have plenty of grass to nibble on. As a result, they gain weight. For some horses, you must muzzle them to prevent them from eating grass.

Breed

How much does the average horse weigh? Some horse breeds have denser bones and more muscle than others. This is because, over time, there is selective production of several species for various purposes.

A racehorse breeding, for example, is for speed and agility, whereas a draft horse is for strength and power. This indicates that different horse breeds have varying weights.

When estimating a horse’s weight, one of the first things to consider is its breed. Horses of various breeds have distinct body forms and weights. A Quarter Horse, for example, weighs roughly 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms), whereas huge draft horse breeds like the Shire can weigh up to 2,500 pounds (1,135 kilograms).

Gender

Another crucial consideration is a horse’s gender. Male horses usually weigh 10% to 20% more than female horses. There are a few different hypotheses about why male horses are heavier than female horses. Testosterone may play a role in weight gain, according to one theory.

Testosterone stimulates fat storage and increases muscle mass. Therefore, the bigger weight disparity between males and females is due to this.

Whatever the reason, the fact remains that male horses are heavier than female horses. But keep in mind that breed matters; a male Arabian, for example, may weigh only 600 pounds (272.4 kilograms), whereas a female Clydesdale may weigh up to 1,800 pounds (817.2 kilograms).

Age

The age of a horse is one of the most critical elements in determining its appropriate weight. Horses age differently and often require less food to keep healthy as they age. This isn’t to say that you should starve your elderly horse; it just means that you may not need to feed it as much as you would a younger horse.

It’s also vital to consider a horse’s age when calculating its weight. Horses that are less than a year old weigh less than older horses. Horses also begin to wither or lose muscle mass as they grow older. This is especially true of horses who retire from working.

Exercise and Diet

When assessing the weight of a horse, take into account diet and exercise. When it comes to regulating your horse’s weight, diet is crucial. Regularly ridden or working horses are naturally thinner but have more muscle, hence weigh more than horses who do not exercise or feed a nutritious diet.

This is because horses who pull carts, wagons, or perform other rigorous duties gain muscular growth over time. Horses that spend the majority of their days reclining in a field, on the other hand, will have less muscle mass and so weigh less.

old weighing scale

An Average Horse Weight Chart by Type

The following is a horse weight chart:

Horse TypeHorse Weight
Light800 to 1,500lb (362.87 to 680.38kg)
Miniature100 to 350lb (45.35 to 158.75kg)
Ponies300 to 900lb (136.07 to 408.23kg)
Draft1,500 to 2,200lb (680.38 to 997.90kg)

Average Horse Weight Based on Breed

Horse BreedAverage Weight
Morgan900 to 1,100lb (408 to 499kg)
Missouri Fox Trotter900 to 1,200lb (408 to 544kg)
Paint950 to 1,200lb (431 – 544.5kg)
Highland Pony1,100 to 1,320lb (499 to 599kg)
Polo Pony900 to 1,100lb (408 to 499kg)
Swedish Warmblood880 to 1,210lb (399 to 549kg)
Shetland Pony400 to 440lb (181.5 to 199.5kg)
Dartmoor Pony440 to 705lb (199.5 to 320kg)
Welara660 to 880lb (299 to 399kg)
Eriskay Pony660 to 880lb (299 to 399kg)
Hackney880 to 1,210lb (399 to 549kg)
Spotted Pony440 to 880lb (199.5 to 399kg)
Dales Pony880 to 1,100lb (399 to 499kg)
New Forest Pony510 to 730lb (231 to 331kg)
Tennessee Walker900 to 1,200lb (408 to 544kg)
Fjord880 to 1,100lb (399 to 499kg)
Exmoor Pony660 to 880lb (299 to 399kg)
Danish Warmblood1,200 to 1,400lb (544 to 635kg)
American Saddlebred1,000 to 1,200lb (453.5 to 544.5kgs)
Connemara Pony640 to 860lb (290 to 390kg)
Arabian795 to 990lb (360.5 to 449kg)
Hackney Pony550 to 770lb (249.5 to 349kg)
Lusitano900 to 1,100lb (408 to 499kg)
Middleweight Ridden Hunter1,100 to 1,400lb (499 to 635kg)
Fell Pony770 to 990lb (349 to 449kg)
American Quarter950 to 1,200lb (431 to 544kg)
Haflinger770 to 1,320lb (349 to 599kg)
Holsteiner990 to 1,765lb (449 to 800.5kg)
Polish Warmblood (Welskpoloski)1,100 to 1,400lb (499 to 635kg)
Morgan900 to 1,100lb (408 to 499kg)
Andalusian1,200 to 1,300lb (544 to 590kg)
Thoroughbred990 to 1,100lb (449 to 499kg)
Westphalian990 to 1,320lb (449 to 599kgs)
Trakehner1,100 to 1,500lb (499 to 680.5kg)
Heavyweight Hunter1,300 to 1,540lb (590 to 698.5kg)
American Warmblood1,210 to 1,320lb (549 to 599kg)
Cleveland Bay1,210 to 1,545lb (549 to 701kg)
Irish Draught1,320 to 1,765lb (599 to 800.5kg)
Dutch Warmblood1,210 to 1,320lb (549 to 599kg)
Lightweight Ridden Hunter990 to 1,300lb (449 to 590kg)
Standardbred1,000 to 1,320lb (453.5 to 599kg)
Percheron1,875 to 2,095lb (850.5 to 950kg)
Shire1,545 to 2,645lb (701 to 1,200kg)
Draft1,540 to 1,870lb (698.5 to 848kg)
Friesian1,300 to 1,500lb (590 to 680kg)
Hanoverian1,210 to 1,435lb (549 to 651kg)
Clydesdale1,545 to 1,765lb (701 to 800.5kg)
Hackney Horse905 to 1,200lb (410.5 to 544kg)
Nakota900 to 1,500lb (408 to 680kg)
Oldenburg1,200 to 1,500lb (544 to 680.5kg)
Cob Horses990 to 1,200lb (449 to 544.5kg)
Paso Fino1,200 to 1,300lb (544 to 590kg)
Belgian1,800 to 2,200lb (816.5 to 998kg)
Gypsy Vanner1,300 to 1,600lb (590 to 726kg)
Lipizzaner905 to 1,200lb (410.5 to 544kg)
Ardennes1,545 to 2,205lb (701 to 1,000kg)
Suffolk Punch1,655 to 1,985lb (751 to 900kg)
Fresian1,200 to 1,400lb (544 to 635kg)

Average Horse Weight Based on Height

Horse Height In HandsHorse Weight
9h (0.9m)421 to 531lb (190.5 to 240.5kg)
10h (1m)531 to 619lb (240.5 to 281kg)
11h (1.1m)529 to 701lb (240.5 to 317.5kg)
12h (1.2m)530 to 814lb (240.5 to 370kg)
13h (1.3m)620 to 880lb (281 to 399kg)
13.2h (1.32m)660 to 880lb (299.5 to 399kg)
14h (1.4m)795 to 990lb (360.5 to 449kg)
14.2h (1.42m)880 to 990lb (399 to 449kg)
15h (1.5m)880 to 1,215lb (399 to 551kg)
15.2h (1.52m)905 to 1,215lb (410.5 to 551kg)
16h (1.6m)1,035 to 1,545lb (469.5 to 701kg)
16.2h (1.62m)1,080 to 1,655lb (490 to 751kg)
17h (1.7m)1,215 to 1,765lb (551 to 800.5kg)
17.2h (1.72m)1,390 to 1,985lb (630.5 to 900.5kg)
18h (1.8m)1,545 to 2,295lb (701 to 1,041kg)

Horse Weight Based on Girth

Horse Weight Based On Girth Length(heart girth(hg) x heart girth(hg) x body length (bl))
Adult Weight
(hg x hg x bl) / 330 = body weight in pounds
Yearling Weight(hg x hg x bl) / 301 = body weight in pounds
Weanling Weight(hg x hg x bl) / 280 = body weight in pounds
Pony Weight(hg x hg x bl) / 299 = body weight in pounds

Horse Weight Based on Age

From newborns to adults, you may always calculate the weight projection using the horses weight range.

AgeWeight
NewbornNewborn foal weight is approximately 10% of the mother’s weight.
WeanlingFoal gains 2 to 2.5lb (0.9 to 1.1kg) per day
YearlingFoal reaches 50% of the full-grown weight
2-year-oldFoal reaches 90% of the full-grown weight
4-year-oldHorse reaches the total adult weight

The Heaviest and Lightest Horses in History

How heavy are horses? In the 1850s, a Shire gelding named Sampson (Mammoth) was the largest horse ever. Its weight was a whopping 3,360lb (1,524kg). Big Jake, a Belgian draft, is the current biggest horse, weighing 2,600lb (1,179.34kg).

Thumbelina, the lightest dwarf miniature horse, weighs 57lb (25.85kg). A diminutive tiny Einstein, whose weight was less than 7lb (3.17kg) at birth, is the smallest foal ever born.

Big brown horse

Summary

Knowing your horse’s weight is critical because it indicates whether or not your animal is healthy. This has an impact on the amount of food you should feed daily as well as the payload your horse can carry. Because being overweight might lead to health problems, you should keep a close eye on this number and keep it under control.