Kentucky Performance Products: How To Weigh Your Horse
Making sure your horse holds its weight over the winter is imperative to its health. Here’s an easy guide on how to calculate your horse’s weight.
Just look at that fuzzy horse, covered in a nice warm winter coat. Do you ever stop and think, “He sure looks fat and sassy, but is he? Could my horse be losing weight? How can I tell under all that hair?”
The best way to monitor your horse’s weight is with a scale, but not many of us have access to a scale big enough to weigh a horse! Instead, you can use an inexpensive weight tape to calculate your horse’s weight. It is best to do this once or twice a month. The tape may not give you the exact weight, but if you measure your horse the same way each time, then you’ll get a good idea if they are gaining or losing weight.
Tips for accurate measuring with a tape.
1) Stand your horse on a flat, level surface and have him stand square.
2) Use the same tape every time and place it in the same place around the horse’s girth, following the directions on the tape.
3) Pull the tape so it is snug, but not too tight.
4) For a more accurate estimate, measure both the heart girth and the body length. Measure the circumference around the heart girth and the body length of the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock, and then plug the numbers into the appropriate formula.
Adult Horse: Heart girth x heart girth x body length ÷ 300 = body weight in pounds.
Pony: Heart girth x heart girth x body length ÷ 299 = body weight in pounds.
Allergic to math? The Horse magazine has a free adult horse calculator you can use.
If you need to add extra calories to your horse’s diet in the winter, choose Equi-Jewel® Rice Bran. Equi-Jewel is high in fat and fiber! It is a healthy way to maintain weight in the cold winter months.
Learn more at https://kppusa.com/product/equi-jewel/
Image courtesy of Kentucky Performance Products
Kentucky Performance Products January Contest Announcement
Enter a picture of your ugly barn coat to win your choice of KPP supplement and a bucket of KPP goodies. Up to three winners will be chosen. #kppuglybarncoatcontest
3 Ways to Enter:
- Starting January 1, 2021, go to KPP’s Facebook page. Add your photo to the pinned post at the top of the page and then share the post to your own page with the hashtag #kppuglybarncoatcontest. Don’t forget to make your post public so that we can see you shared!
- Starting January 1, 2021, upload an image on your Instagram and use our hashtag #kppuglybarncoatcontest. Don’t forget to make your post public!
- If you do not have a social media account and would still like to enter, CLICK HERE and you can enter online.
Contest ends January 31, 2021.
