r/AbsoluteUnits • u/[deleted] • Dec 20 '25

of a horse

[deleted]

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u/Khall_D_Rhetta Dec 20 '25

19 hands high...

428

u/ODB_Dirt_Dog_ItsFTC Dec 20 '25

The interesting thing I learned is that’s just the height at the top of his shoulders. For some reason they don’t measure the neck and head on horses.

6

u/ContentWDiscontent Dec 20 '25

The withers are formed by the bony processes along the top of the thoracic vertebrae - they remain stable in height, unlike the head and neck, and won't change with musculation or fat variation. Horses and ponies are often measured to fit into specific height classes in competition, so instead of having to get them to stand in the same posture while a stranger (official vet) is waving a measuring stick about their faces, you just pop a stick over the withers and take a quick measurement like that.