Average Horse Weight Chart

It’s hard to determine average horse weight even when factoring in height. This is because there is a multitude of breeds, with vastly different conformation characteristics. For example, a Gypsy may only be 14-15 hands, but a healthy and average weight will be extremely different from a 14-15 hand Morgan. For this reason, many people use the Henneke Scale (shown below) as a gauge for proper weight. Here is an average horse weight chart using very loose guidelines:

Average Horse Weight Chart

When speaking about an “average” horse, most people think of a 900-1,100-pound 15 hand horse. However, average horse sizes range from 800 up to 1,800 pounds depending on the breed!

Horse Breed	Weight (kg)	Height (hh)
American Cream Draft	725-905	15-16.3
American Quarter Horse	455-590	14-16.3
American Saddlebred	455-545	14.3-16.1
American Standardbred	545-600	14-15
Appaloosa	455-590	14-15
Arabian	380-480	14.1-15.1
Belgian Draft	860-1000	14-17.3
Clydesdale	725-815	15.3-17
Dutch Warmblood	545-590	15.3-16.3
Friesian	545-635	15-16
Miniature Horse	110-225	7.3-9
Mustang	365-455	12-14.1
Percheron	860-955	15.3-17.1
Shire	770-1225	16-17.3
Tennessee Walker	410-635	14.3-15.3
Thoroughbred	455-590	15.3-17
Walkaloosa	455-590	14-15
Welsh Pony	205-340	12-13.1
Welsh Cob	270-455	13-14.1

The Henneke Scale

The Henneke scale is a good way to assess equine body scores among different breeds. The system uses visual and palpated fat scoring from the ribs, withers, loin, tailhead, shoulders, and neck. The scoring system is rated from 1-9, with 5 being ideal. The poorest condition, 1, is a state of extreme emaciation. At this point, most horses will start to experience organ failure.  The highest number, 9, is extreme fat that poses an immediate danger.

Condition Level	Ribs	Neck	Wither	Loin	Tailhead	Shoulder
Poor 1	Prominent and project outwardProminent and project outward	Bone structure prominent, the horse appears emaciated, no fatty tissues	Bone prominent	Spinous processes project outwardly	Bone projection, no fatty tissues	Bone structure is seen and felt
Very Thin 2	Almost no fat covering	ribs Horse still emaciated	Faint fat covering	Slight fat covering spinous processes, but still prominent	Tailhead still prominent	Shoulder line highly visible
Thin 3	Very slight fat on ribs, still visible	Highly visible withers	Neck Highly visible shoulder	Spinous processes only half covered in fat, still prominent and traverse processes can’t be felt	Tailhead projects but individual vertebrae hidden, pin bones not highly distinguishable	Accentuated
Moderately Thin 5	Faint	Neck not prominently thin	Withers not obviously thin	Negative crease noticeable on the back	Fat can be felt, but not seen, hook bones are not discernible	Outline Not noticeably thin
Moderate 5	Ribs not visible, but easily felt	Neck blends into the body	Withers rounded nicely	Level back	Fat around tailhead and starts to feel spongy	Shoulder blends nicely
Moderately Fleshy 6	Ribs not visible, but easily felt	Beginning fat deposits	Beginning fat deposits	Possible positive crease down spine	Fat around tailhead is soft	Beginning fat deposits
Fleshy 7	Fat filling between ribs, but ribs still separate	Actual fat deposits	There are fat deposits	Possible positive crease down spine	Distinguishable Fat around tailhead will be soft	New fat deposits behind shoulder line
Fat 8	Difficult to feel ribs at all	Thickened neck and crest, fatty buttocks	Withers have fat pockets	All Positive crease down spine	Tailhead very soft	No noticeable shoulder line
Extremely Fat 9	Patchy fat and no visible ribs	Bulging fat and cresty, buttocks may rub	Fat bulges	Large positive crease down spine	Fat built up around tailhead	Fat bulges

Proper Weight

So what is a proper weight for a horse, and why is it important? Ideally, a horse will score a “5”, which is a moderate weight and considered ideal. Distinct characteristics of this chart include smooth neck to body transitions, rounded withers over the spine, no visible ribs but easily felt, level back, and fat present around the tailhead. Serious irreversible medical issues can arise when a horse is too extreme in either direction on the Henneke Scale.

Overweight

Horses suffering from obesity have increased stress on both the lungs and the heart. This can also be an issue in developing horses, causing bone and joint issues. Although not a problem in all animals, horses are also at increased risk of laminitis when overweight. No hoof, no horse!

Underweight

Although many health problems can result in an underweight horse, nutritional gaps are the primary problem with underweight horses. Nutritional deficiencies can result in a multitude of problems. As horses become emaciated, they lose necessary muscling and protective fat layers. At the final stages, a horse’s internal organs will begin to fail.

Feed Control Methods

Feed control is the primary way to control weight on a horse. Exercise is a factor, but grass and feeds can make or break a horse’s diet. However, each corrective feeding method has its own challenges. When putting weight on an emaciated horse, it must be done strategically and slowly primarily with easily digestible forage. When “dieting” a horse, it can be difficult to find low NSC hays or control pasture access/grass growth.

 Final Thoughts

Although averages for horse weight are wide-ranging, this chart should give readers a good idea of what ideal and average body weights are. Where do your horses fall on the Henneke scale? If you have friends with horses, be sure to share this article!