My first horse was a giant Irish cross…I am pretty sure he was BIGGER than the 17.2 he was advertised as, but anything bigger just sounds scary. My next one had papers from his inspection in Germany listing him as 17.1…when he was 5. By the time I got him he had surely grown and the Irish horse was well over an inch bigger than he was.
In consequence I find my current ride dinky. Vet’s assistant claimed he was 16h at the PPE by eyeballing him, but I’m 5’7" and can’t see over his withers so…
I think unless you regularly use a stick you probably don’t know, and sellers, if they do know, aren’t inclined to be entirely honest about it.
[QUOTE=NeverTime;8095810]
I’ve been lying about my horse’s height for 18+ years. I am clueless as to his actual height because every time I’ve tried to measure him he’s acted goofy about the stick. So I’ve been guessing 16.2 for ages, though I suspect he’s probably shorter. Unless it’s a 14.2-14.3 issue, how much does an inch or two really matter?[/QUOTE]
There’s a pretty big difference between a horse that’s 15.2 and one that’s 16 hands. Two inches are significant,
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My BO bought an OTTB that I recommended to her based on pedigree and video. Seller had him advertised as 17.1. We could see he was substantial in the video, but figured w/ the usual size inflation, he’d be 16.2/16.3 tops. Imagine our surprise when he came off the trailer and looked every bit of 17+ hands. He legitimately measures a hair under 17.1!
Given that a great many horses don’t react well to being sticked, and accurate sticking is a learned art, not just a trip to the barn with a tape measure … most owners/riders have never sticked a horse, EVER. Ergo, most horses have never been measured by their owners.
20 years ago the advertised heights for horses were as suspect as they are now! :lol: Nothing seems to have changed on that point.
I believe that owners believe in the height they were told when they bought the horse. Based on anecdotal evidence, it could be that even the majority of owners believe their horse is 2 to 3 inches taller than it is. :winkgrin:
Believing what sellers and friends say about horse height, none based on actual measurements, people then make that their default impression of how high a 16h horse must be (and 16.2, 15.3 and so on).
So that’s my theory of why so many horse people are so wrong about horse height.
I’ve measured where 16h is on me - 64 inches is at a specific point on my face. That’s not the most accurate measurement method, of course, but it helps me know the difference between 16.2 and 15.2. And it helps me know when the height claimed is just wrong. 
[QUOTE=NeverTime;8095810]
I’ve been lying about my horse’s height for 18+ years. I am clueless as to his actual height because every time I’ve tried to measure him he’s acted goofy about the stick. So I’ve been guessing 16.2 for ages, though I suspect he’s probably shorter. Unless it’s a 14.2-14.3 issue, how much does an inch or two really matter?[/QUOTE]
There ya go, ladies & gents. THIS is probably a nice generic example of why the height claimed for any horse should not be taken seriously. Bottom line - however right or wrong they are, the owner isn’t really interested in learning otherwise.
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I HATE when I see “16.2+++” what does that even mean? Is he 16.5??? (I know that doesn’t exist).
I see this with a lot of the “trainers” on facebook trying to flip OTTBs.
[QUOTE=SillyHorse;8095834]
There’s a pretty big difference between a horse that’s 15.2 and one that’s 16 hands. Two inches are significant,[/QUOTE]
I’m sure a narrow, short-backed, high-withered 15.2H horse feels a lot different than a big-barreled, flat-withered 16H horse, but I still think - generally - the most significant difference between 15.2 and 16H is that most people think 16H is a more fashionable height.
Also, OverandOnward, isn’t 16H actually 64"? I like your idea, but either you mistyped or there’s a good reason you think most horses aren’t the height claimed! 
This is a lot like on-line dating where a guy says he is 6’ but is really “only” 5’10" or less. If a guy lies about his height and you find out he is much shorter, the next question is, what else is he lying about.
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I bought my mare advertised at 16.2. At 5’1 I didn’t pay much attention but people regularly asked if she was 16.1/16.2. Years later I put a stick on her and she was a robust 15.3 but not a hair over. A big and deep body made her seem much bigger.
Conversely, new guy was advertised as 16.2 and I think muscled up he will be at least that big if not 16.3. I wish the seller had exaggerated!
On the other hand—we ended up buying a horse last year that was advertised at 18 hands. When we went to see him, he was so flippin’ massive that we were like, “Ok–he is SO tall, he’s ridiculous!” Anyway–at some point, just for kicks, we got out the measuring stick. He measured 17.3 & 3/4 inches. I knew the seller well, so I teased her that she had lied about his height. She was like, “if I had known that he wasn’t 18 hands—I would have had so many more potential buyers. Everyone that looked at his ad was put off by his height. We could have advertised him at 17.3!”
Well I had a buyer looking at my horse which is 16 hands… When she sat on her, she told me, You know I was hoping she would only be 15.2
So obviously she was hoping that I was making my horse bigger… I didnt really know what to answer 
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I agree with the what else are they lying about. Also I find it to be a big difference between barely 15h and one that is advertised as 15.3, especially when the horse is overall small.
I had a woman come try Sky when I was originally trying to sell him and she used the “I’m this tall” method, except she tried telling me he was 16h. Um nope. I sticked him at my old trainer’s and he was 16.3 and a half. Nice try lady.
Although she would have benefited from lying about her height, the seller of my mare truthfully advertised her as 14.3, which gave me some bargaining room. The funny thing is, everyone thinks she’s taller than that.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8095967]
This is a lot like on-line dating where a guy says he is 6’ but is really “only” 5’10" or less. If a guy lies about his height and you find out he is much shorter, the next question is, what else is he lying about.[/QUOTE]
Perfect analogy!! And, I have found that even horses marketed by knowledgeable agents are often advertised at 1-2 inches taller than their actual height.
I do think that if a horse is described as taller than they are, other features may be exaggerated as well. Buyer beware!
[QUOTE=Manni01;8096119]
Well I had a buyer looking at my horse which is 16 hands… When she sat on her, she told me, You know I was hoping she would only be 15.2
So obviously she was hoping that I was making my horse bigger… I didnt really know what to answer :([/QUOTE]
I have been that person! :lol:
I’ve put a stick on my horse several times, 16.1hh. The place I got him from also had that height listed for him. When I meet someone new at the barn, everyone marvels at “how massive” he is and “how tall” he is, many convinced he’s 17.0hh+. Not even close–I think people’s perceptions of horse height are really off.
For reference I’m 5’2".
[QUOTE=Manahmanah;8095187]
Good question. I can’t tell you how many 17+ hand ottbs I’ve seen advertised lately. 
[/QUOTE]
This drives me crazy. I’ve literally sticked hundreds of TB’s at the track over the years and very rarely do I measure one at 17 hands - very rarely (I’d say less than 15 out of hundreds). I laugh when I see people post about their 18-hand TB - sorry folks but I’ve only come across one TB that size in my 35+ years of being involved with horses.
most people are clueless.
I even have friends who are clueless.
[B]I am convinced that when people say they used the horsie stick with the level bubble they read the number at the top of the measuring arm instead of the bottom. That boosts the height by 1.5 inches or so.
[/B]I actually fit better on my 15.2/15.3h 3 year old than I do on my 16.1h 6 year old. They have a different heart girth.
Also, with young horse add (like the one from Germany) often the height listed will be the probable mature height of the horse.
Manni, I forgot about the side effect of sellers misrepresenting their horses – the buyers all get messed up too.
When I was selling my last horse, who was a beefy 17h draft cross, the very first word in the ad was “big” – followed by “17h draft cross” and a number of pictures with non-tiny people (like me and my dressage coach) riding him. And yet the first serious buyer came several hours down to see a couple of horses in the area…and took one look at my horse and said…“oh. He’s so big.” She wouldn’t even get within 10 feet of him on the ground (although he was a total teddy bear).
Of course, their previous appointment also lasted 10 minutes (so they wanted to come an hour and a half early to mine…) so perhaps that was a sign…
I stick all my horses with an aluminum stick with the level. It’s in my feedroom. Anyone can use use it.
Even with the stick available and someone able to measure, my boarder insisted her one mare was 15.2 (sorry, but she was 14.1) and then listed a 16.1 TB she had for sale as being 15.2. She also made him a year older than he was even though his pedigree is available and includes his DOB. Clueless, but you can lead a horse to water and can’t make him drink.
I happen to breed a horse that has a breed standard of 13.2 to 14.2. I get all sorts of sales inquires for 15 hand Fjords. Sorry, I don’t breed that and most Fjords are in the breed standard range. They also are a pretty wide barreled breed, so it’s not like you are riding some plank sided horse. I have had people refuse to look at a 14.2 hand Fjord insisting that they had to have 14.3. I have had people refuse to believe a horse is 14.3 even when I sticked the horse in front of them. I even offered to let them measure. I give up about measuring. I do it, but I realize that nobody is going to believe me.
[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8096271]
I stick all my horses with an aluminum stick with the level. It’s in my feedroom. Anyone can use use it.
Even with the stick available and someone able to measure, my boarder insisted her one mare was 15.2 (sorry, but she was 14.1) and then listed a 16.1 TB she had for sale as being 15.2. She also made him a year older than he was even though his pedigree is available and includes his DOB. Clueless, but you can lead a horse to water and can’t make him drink.
I happen to breed a horse that has a breed standard of 13.2 to 14.2. I get all sorts of sales inquires for 15 hand Fjords. Sorry, I don’t breed that and most Fjords are in the breed standard range. They also are a pretty wide barreled breed, so it’s not like you are riding some plank sided horse. I have had people refuse to look at a 14.2 hand Fjord insisting that they had to have 14.3. I have had people refuse to believe a horse is 14.3 even when I sticked the horse in front of them. I even offered to let them measure. I give up about measuring. I do it, but I realize that nobody is going to believe me.[/QUOTE]
Ha, if I were looking for a Fjord, I would take one that is 13.2! For sure! Of course, I am 5’4" and a slight build but still, those little horses are wider than my warmbloods!
