Weight calculation question & Website update

[Ginia]

Brought horses in from the pasture to good old Winters "mostly stalled with daily turn-out time" live over the weekend, and came to terms that they were all too FAT. I measured all of them for the girth x girth x length calculation, then divided first by 300, then by 330. I know for full-sized horses the number to divide by is 300, but have read and heard various places that for ponys and miniatures you need to divide by 330. Without loading several of them up and hauling them to the grain elevator in town to double-check calculations, which method do the majority of you feel is most accurate?

I also want to invite all of you to view the updated Sale and Mares pages on my website. As a "nod of recogition" to reaching retirement age, I'm offering several really nice well-bred mares that I had acquired with the original intention of keeping them for my brood mare band. Trying to make chore-time a little lighter so we can maybe have a few get-aways without imposing so much on our friends we trade chores with.

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[whitney]

Hey Ginia this is what's on the LilB info page

Here is another weight system

Measure around the girth (Girth).

Measure from the point of shoulder to point of buttock (Length) in one straight line.

now use this formula...

Girth x Girth x Length = ?

divided ? by 300 = weight of your horse in pounds.

EXAMPLE - Lets say that your horse is 36" around the girth, and 48" in length.

formula would look like...

36 x 36 x 48 = 62208.

HOWEVER

I also found this in a prior post

(heart girth in inches squared X Length in inches) divided by 330 = bodyweight in pounds.

heart girth is measured around the horse's barrel with the tape measure placed at the last mane hairs on their whithers. Length is measured from point of shoulder to the middle of the muscle crease at the rear of the hindquarters. [use a regular seamstress tape measure.] [if you are measuring weanlings than use 280, instread of 330.]

62208 divided by 300 = 207.36 pounds.

 

[kaykay]

hi ginny!

I have always been told that weight tapes are not accurate but I know Dr Pam thinks they are.

I would go by more of how do they look and feel?? If they have fat pads on the shoulders and hips they are obese and headed for trouble.

 

[Ginia]

Nope, you've both missed my point. I did measure heart girth. I did measure length from point of shoulder to back (not center back, just "furthermost back-back". Am I clear so far? ok. Then I multiplied the girth measurement by the girth measurement (squared, right?). Then I multiplied that sum by the length. Are we still together? Now, here's my question. Who is correct, those who say you divide that sum by 300 (which you would do for a full sized horse), or those who say you divide by 330 (Which some say is what you need to do if you're calculating weight on a pony or mini.) Do you see my question now? 300, or 330?

And I really want it accurate, not just by how the condition, or pads of fat, look on a body-scoring chart. I would like to know for medication partly (if it is necessary, which sooner or later it always IS necessary), and partly just because I want to keep track of how much their weight differs between Fall when they come off pasture, and Spring when everything they have consumed has been weighed and measured for the past 5 or 6 months. Sorta in the "inquiring minds want to know" catagory LOL.

 

[SunQuest]

Here is another weight system

Measure around the girth (Girth).

Measure from the point of shoulder to point of buttock (Length) in one straight line.

now use this formula...

Girth x Girth x Length = ?

divided ? by 300 = weight of your horse in pounds.

EXAMPLE - Lets say that your horse is 36" around the girth, and 48" in length.

formula would look like...

36 x 36 x 48 = 62208.

62208 divided by 300 = 207.36 pounds.

Hi,

I am the one who posted that on the forum MANY YEARS ago. This method was taught to me by my vet and is the number that she uses on most minis and large breed foals. The actual recommended number for large breed horses is using 330.

She said that the reason she uses 300 is that the foal and the Miniature has less mass at the girth (smaller diameter) and if you divide by the higher number you will be underestimating the horse's actual weight.

I know that I am always within 5 pounds of what a scale tells me if I do exactly as I posted above.

Your best bet is to measure your horse and then find a scale and weigh the horse. This will tell you how acurate you are on your measureing and what number works best for you.