How Accurate Are Weight Tapes?

[Marla_100]

I want to get a close weight on my horses since the imported hay is costing me a fortune and I suspect I could cut back a little but want to make sure of their weights before I do so.

Has anyone used a weight tape and then actually weighed their horse to check for accuracy? My vet estimated one of my horses a while back and I thought she was way off (over) his real weight.

I know the bone size, etc. can cause the weight to vary but in general, do you trust the tapes?
Are there certain tapes that are more reliable?

[joiedevie99]

No. I don’t trust them. Between the vet’s clinic, one boarding barn, and the feed rep, I’ve had access to three real scales over the years. The weight tapes seem to be more or less accurate for a few horses and way off for many others. If you are in a horsey area, it might be worth seeing if you have access to a real scale. I know several feed reps that travel with portable ones now.

[cayuse]

I tape my minis every couple of weeks. When I had their teeth done last month the vet estimated their weight by measuring their height, length and girth and doing some math on the numbers (not sure what exactly she did, wish I could remember). Her results and the weight tape measurements were surprisingly close.
That being said, I think the tapes are pretty good to use to moniter weight loss/gain once you establish a baseline with the tape, but for an exact weight nothing beats a scale.

[Guilherme]

They can be a reasonable approximation for most purposes. If a precise weight is needed you need to use a precise scale as you might find in a vet. facility. But for day to day stuff they are just fine.

For a “middling accuracy” weight you might see if you feed dealer has one for measuring large loads they would let you use.

But if you’re concerned about nutrition then weight is only one factor and not the most important. You need to get a good Body Condition Score (BCS). If you Google it you’ll find a number of references, including some decent utube videos, on the subject.

Good luck in your project.

G.

[Denali6298]

I mostly use them to monitor weight loss or gain. They are a good approximation but would never use one to get the exact weight of my horse.

I think it would suffice for your purposes since it seems like you are monitoring gain vs loss.

[malriis]

It seems like Body Condition Score would be a much more useful metric for determining if their nutritional needs are being met. Weight is only a tiny bit of the story and is gonna heavily depend on the breed and build of the horse.

[MsM]

My vet feels that they are useful for monitoring weight gain or loss if done carefully by the same person over time. Not so accurate for determining exact weight, but that is seldom needed.

[KBC]

@cayuse

That being said, I think the tapes are pretty good to use to moniter weight loss/gain once you establish a baseline with the tape, but for an exact weight nothing beats a scale.

This is my take as well, great tools for measuring changing shape, but doesn’t work for every horse

[Ponycatraz]

When I’ve compared guesstimated weight by tape or the measurement method to real weight I’ve found the measurement method way more accurate.

I use https://thehorse.com/tools/adult-horse-weight-calculator/

The weight tape was 100 lbs off on my beefcake if a pony but over 400 pounds off on my extremely long horse. The measurement method was under 100 lbs off on both.

[JB]

@malriis

It seems like Body Condition Score would be a much more useful metric for determining if their nutritional needs are being met. Weight is only a tiny bit of the story and is gonna heavily depend on the breed and build of the horse.

BCS doesn’t tell you anything about nutritional needs though, barring gross caloric or protein deficiencies (or excesses).

Feeds are fed on a per-100lb basis, ration balancers usually on a per-1000lb (for horses, 500lb for ponies) basis, and if you are trying to make sure a horse is getting at least 2% of his body weight, or no more than 1.5% of his body weight in hay, then you need a much better approximation of their actual weight.

I wouldn’t trust a weight tape at all for this kind of stuff, other than to get you in the general ballpark (ie 900lb or 1300lb). They can be off (under) by 200lb, which is significant.

Use the (HG x HG x L)/300 + 50 to get a much better idea of weight. Tapes don’t take into account a horse’s length, so the longer a horse is relative to the average for his height, the more off the tape will be.

[Zu_Zu]

[B]Basic guess Ӣ IMHO

• vet uses for drastic weight changes only [/B]

[sorrelfilly721]

@JB

Use the (HG x HG x L)/300 + 50 to get a much better idea of weight. Tapes don’t take into account a horse’s length, so the longer a horse is relative to the average for his height, the more off the tape will be.

I tried to find the definition of this formula on Google, but no luck. What is the HG and L?

[IronwoodFarm]

I think weight tapes are helpful if your have concerns about a horse gaining or losing weight. The numbers are not as important and the general direction that the tape is going. I have never had a need for an exact weight on a horse.

[Marla_100]

@sorrelfilly721

I tried to find the definition of this formula on Google, but no luck. What is the HG and L?

HG- Heart Girth
L- Length- I suppose as you’d measure for a blanket

[Marla_100]

At 40cents per pound for good hay, I’m trying to cut back to what’s necessary and not just put extra out for amusement.
I have decent grazing except after a freeze but the horses get spoiled with the good hay. And I’m guessing the hay is tastier than winter grass.
Thanks everyone for your answers.

[Scribbler]

I feed hay based on the condition of the horse.

My air fern stock horse mare tapes at 1250 and gets about 15 lbs of hay a day. But when I was looking after an OTTB who was much finer boned she got as much hay as she would eat. Very different metabolism.

Body score is what matters, especially watching out for the fat pockets that signal metabolic problems.
.
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[Inese]

I believe this was published in one of the horse magazines awhile ago, along with a picture.

The most recommended way to estimate the weight of a horse is by using the first formula: Weight (lbs) = [(heart girth) x (heart girth) x (body length)] / 330. This is not a perfect equation, and you may be wrong (plus or minus) 50 lbs. You can try that calculation and compare it to a weight tape and see what you got

[JB]

@Marla 100

At 40cents per pound for good hay, I’m trying to cut back to what’s necessary and not just put extra out for amusement.
I have decent grazing except after a freeze but the horses get spoiled with the good hay. And I’m guessing the hay is tastier than winter grass.
Thanks everyone for your answers.

If their weight is good, and there’s not (a lot of) wasted hay, then don’t cut back, no matter if they’re eating 3% or 2% .

if there’s too much waste, then cut back a little. But at that point it’s “a little” from what you’re feeding, regardless of how much that is relative to their body weight.

If they’re fat, cut back (or reduce blanketing if appropriate).

If they’re in good weight and you cut back and they get thin, it’s almost always going to cost more to make up calories in hard feed than in hay.