Height??

[Anonymous]

I am interested to get opinions on an appropriate height for a work horse. I have plans to do farm work (haying, manure spreading, etc.) and light logging (firewood for personal use). I have heard/read that 16.3H is a practical maximum height. If this is accurate, what are the disadvantages to having horses larger than 16.3H? Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

Hey, John. This is probably going to get to be an interesting thread! Here’s my 2 cents:

Considering your intended purposed, I wouldn’t think that any well-balanced draft should be ruled out solely based on height. “Well-balanced” is an important statement, in my opinion, since I believe that any working horse should be built reasonably for their intended purpose. I’ve worked some 17.2H Percherons that weren’t ‘leggy’ like show horses, but were still on the taller side for their build, and they were comfortable doing exactly the sort of work you’re talking about. They were still built like work horses, though, with good bone.

On the practical side, a 19H horse is awfully tough to harness unless you’re 6′ 8″. I knew a fellow who was built like that and logged with a single 19.2H Percheron, and he got along just fine – I would have struggled at ‘only’ 6′. My 17.2H Percherons aren’t any tougher for me to harness than my 16.3H Brabants – the Brabants’ added width makes about the same amount of difference as the Percherons’ height does when it comes time to get that harness up and over.

My opinion, in a nutshell: get yourself the best horse(s) that you can find and don’t worry too much about height unless you need them to be shorter.

[Cameron Littlejohn]

I don’t hav any experience with many horses but my clyde is 18 h and I am only 5-6 so it is def a little tricky some times harnessing lol. You should see me trying to get on him to ride him when my truck isn’t near to stand on the bed side lol. So I do believe there can be an issue with one being too tall if your a little feller yourself like me lol

[Big Horses]

I think Sean gave you the best advice…. get the best horse you can find and don’t worry about height unless it bothers YOU! I’ve got a Percheron gelding that’s over 19hh barefoot and he’s not bad to harness…but he’s cooperative….he puts his head down for the collar and bridle. I guess it would be different if I was throwing harness 10 times a day maybe…but it’s not that big of a deal, and besides, it’s good for us. I’m only 5’9″ and my wife’s 5’7″ and she can harness him just fine too.
The worst thing about him is finding a match for him.
John

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses guys, I guess I was more thinking along the lines of angle of draft (ground skidding) or issues hooking to equipment , etc. I am 6′-5″ (with my shoes off) 🙂 so I think harnessing would not necessarily be any more difficult than with my current boys. John

[Andy Carson]

My first feeling is that temperment and “workability” are probably more important than fine tuning how tall your horse is, BUT, it is still fun to think about. In my mind, the ability to move something is based both on force and leverage. Unless your horse is fat, the force is primarily related to muscle mass, which is pretty much proportial to weight. I am not concidering (at least not right now) the fact that if you have two horses of equal weight and different heights, the shorter horse likely has more muscle mass, because the frame weighs less (all other things being equal). From the standpoint of weight, the taller horse has the advantage because it’s larger frame can carry more weight (again all else being equal). Leverage is substantially improved in the shorter horse with shorter limbs, however. Which is more important? Well, it’s not hard to have two drafts that differ in weight by 50%, such as a 1500 lb and a 2250 lb horse. It is also possible to have horses that vary in height by 50%, such as 12 hands and 18 hands, but only one of these heights is in the range that most would call a draft horse. So, within the range of “normal” draft horses, weight is likely the primary factor determing pulling ability. That doesn’t mean that height isn’t important though, because I would predict the shorter horse of two with equal weight to be stronger both because of more muscle mass and increased leverage. Still, weight is likely the major determinant, but does that mean I want the heaviest horse avaliable, certainly not! This might be my own personal opinion, but I think that really heavy horses have inherent soundness and longevity problems. I think this is due to the fact that as height increases, weight increases as a cube of the height (assuming equal build). Think of a cube, if you double the height, the volume increases by 8 fold. The stength of the supporting structures, however, only grow as a square of the height. Think again of a cube, representing a bone, it’s weight increases by 8 fold, but it’s cross sectional area (which determines it’s strength) only increases by 4 fold when height is doubled. So, if build is equal, strength is cut in half with a doubling of height. I think everyone would have to decide on thier own where weight becomes an “issue,” but for me I wouldn’t want a horse over 1900-2000 lbs. Now, if you don’t want a horse over that weight, than the “best” horse would likely be the shorter horse with the biggest bones that close to, but not over 1900-2000 lbs. I could easily see that horse being 16.3 or thereabouts, but I don’t see anything magical about that exact height. I have heard something about the draft angles, too, but it’s hard for me to think that with all the possible jobs and all the possible hitching configurations, there is just one height that is the best…

[Andy Carson]

Here’s an interesting link to a scholarly arcticle discussing body types for Ba’nei horses, a type of Japanese draft horse race where they pull sleds. http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jes/12/1/12_1/_article/-char/en

Interesting notes:
The horses that compete in these competitions average 17 hands (with 70+% ranging from 16.2 to 17.2 hands) and weigh an average of 2215 lbs (with ~70% ranging from 2105 to 2325 lbs). Most were male and the vast majority were crossbred Percheron, Belgian and Breton.

Within this population, the primary determinant of performance was body weight, with heavier horses winning more races.

Within this population, the influence of height was not a significant determinant of performance. Maybe height doesn’t matter as much as I would have thought, or maybe these horses are already about as short and thick as is practical (17 hands, 2200 lbs is pretty thick).

Other body measurements (other than weight) were not statistically significant with respect to performance and the emphasis was on a “balanced” body shape. IE, the heaviest horse with a “balanced” conformation was most likely to win the race.

[Gabe Ayers]

In my mind, don’t go looking for a horse of particular size, but rather find the right horse for you. It is not just the size of the horse but how willing they are to pull that makes the difference. I have a 16.5 h suffolk gelding that does not weight more than 1700 lbs but he can pull they side of the barn off. That is about mental makeup rather than physical size. I do think that everything else being equal, a shorter, more squat draft is the way to go. The physics of pulling are just more advantageous there.
-Brad

[Robert MoonShadow]

This topic reminds me of the old saying:
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog, that counts.”

[dominiquer60]

If harnessing a tall horse is an issue, I have seen harnessing platforms that can easily be built so that grooming and harnessing are less of and issue for vertically challenged folks. I know of a gentleman that built one so that his wife can help him comfortably. It takes a little lumber but if you stand to benefit from such a tool, it may be well worth it and it also keeps the little people in a safer location while they work around big horses.

[karl t pfister]

I guess i would weigh in on the side of the compatibility of the animal’s temperament with mine . To me that is what makes this
somthing worth returning to day after day . The horses I’ve had that allow me to do what I want ,they seem to work as hand in glove ,those are the ones I remember ,they give you their heart . That is after 30 years of horsing around.

And of course finding that personality within all the variations of color and size is not easy either , especially if one is new to horses, older horses are a great place to start 12 plus even 15 and on ,emphasis on all having a great time and less on the efficiencies .

And a mentor at this point can be invaluable when going and trying horses …

The old saying The color of the horse being “green” and the color of the man being” green ” makes for “black and blue” is true in more ways than one ?

But a willingness to let a horse that doesn’t suit go and try another is plus too … there are a lot of horses out there!
good luck

[Pete]

I have a team one is 19hh his mate is 18’2hh those long legs can cover alot of ground in a hurry.

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