How Much Does an American Quarter Horse Weigh?

If you own an American Quarter Horse, you might be wondering if it has a healthy weight range or not.

How much does an American Quarter Horse weigh? An average American Quarter Horse weighs anywhere in between 950 to 1,200 pounds or 431 to 544 kg. The American Quarter Horse could grow to become a massive animal at 16 hands tall. Smaller varieties, however, weigh around 900 to 950 pounds with an average height of 14 hands.

In this article, we’ll explain how to weigh a horse, the normal weight range, and how you can regulate your Quarter horse’s weight.

The weight of an American Quarter horse

The American Quarter horses come in a variety of weight ranges and heights.

The weight of the foals is usually only dependent on the mother’s weight regardless of gender. But as the horses grow, mares tend to be heavier and sturdier then stallions.

Variations in the weight of an American Quarter Horse

Here’s the thing:

There could be a difference of 300 pounds between two American Quarter Horses with both being perfectly healthy.

Let’s discuss the variables in the weight of an American Quarter horse so you can discern whether yours lies in the “healthy” bracket.

Healthy birth weight of American Quarter horses

Regardless of breed, all healthy foals weigh approximately 10 percent of their mother’s weight.

That means if the mother weighs around 1000 pounds, the foal must weigh 100 pounds at the time of birth.

The normal gestation period of a horse is 335 days. Foals born before crossing the 335 days mark are smaller than full-term horse babies.

A foal weighing less than 10 percent of the mother’s weight is more likely to be premature.

However, this is interesting:

The birth weight of fillies (a young female horse) and colts (a young male horse) is indifferent of their gender.

Weight of American Quarter Horse foals

Generally, foals born in the month of May are heavier and larger than those born in other months of the year.

That’s because the quality and availability of grass are greater during these months while they decrease later on.

This difference in weight is significantly apparent during the first 6 months of their life.

Studies have also concluded that foals born in the months from July to August grow slower than foals born in earlier months.

Colts are taller, longer, and leaner than fillies

Offspring of larger mares are larger in size and grow faster than other foals

The weight of different types of American Quarter Horses

There are four types of American Quarter Horses:

The bulldog

The semi bulldog
The progressive Quarter Horse
The running Quarter Horse

The “Bulldog” Quarter Horse

This variety of American quarter horse is stockier. It is about 14 to 14.3 hands tall and weighs between 1150 to 1350 pounds.

The “Semi-Bulldog” Quarter Horse

The semi bulldog variety of American Quarters is more athletic than stocky.

They are 14.1 to 15 hands tall and weighs between 1050 to 1250 pounds.

The “Progressive” Quarter Horse

The progressive Quarter Horse has a body type between the semi bulldog and the running American Quarter horse types.

It is usually 15 to 15.3 hands and weighs up to 1150 pounds or more.

The “Running ” Quarter Horse

The fourth type of Quarter resembles more to Thoroughbred horses.

They are tall and lean with a well-sculpted athletic body.

They are 15 to 16 hands tall, and their weight could be 1200 pounds or more.

How to determine the weight of an American Quarter horse?

Now that you have a good idea about the average weight of an American Quarter horse, you’d want to ensure that your Quarter Horse lies in the optimum range.

The first step to doing so is to weigh your horse.

The following are some of the most common methods used to weigh a horse.

Measuring scale

This would be the easiest method for weighing a horse.

But finding a scale large enough to fit a horse is definitely not an easy task.

If you don’t have a large-enough scale, you could check with veterinary facilities or large ranches. Otherwise, try one of the following methods to weigh your horse.

Truck payloads

You can take your horse in a trailer and weigh it with the horse on one of the public scales designed to weigh trucks.

You can return with the empty trailer for another reading later.

The difference between both these ratings would be the weight of your horse.

Eyeballing

This is probably the most unauthentic technique of measuring a horse’s weight.

It’s almost always wrong regardless of the farmer or vet’s experience.

Most ranchers believe they can estimate the exact weight of a horse by just looking at it.

Well, that’s not true.

You can simply tell if a horse is healthy or not by using your experience but telling its weight isn’t possible.

It has been studied that the weight estimates made by the eyeballing technique always varied by 300-500 pounds.

Using a horse weight tape

Using a horse weight tape saves you from the hassle of having to find a scale to weigh your horse.

Although it’s not that accurate, a horse weight tape can give you a good idea of what your horse’s weight might be.

First, you’ll need to purchase a quality horse weight tape Lay the tape over the horse’s withers and join it at the horse’s barrel. The horse measuring tape will give you an approximate weight range for this measurement.

You can check out this youtube video to get a better understanding of how to measure your horse’s weight with a measuring tape.

The importance of keeping a record of your horse’s weight

It is very important to keep a log of the weight of your American Quarter horse.

This will help evaluate:

Its overall health

Growth pattern in young horses
Any prevailing medical condition
Seasonal weight changes

Effects of specific medicine on the weight
Their calorie intake requirements

Now, here’s the deal:

If you keep a record of your horse’s weight, you can predict its overall health.

This will also help you determine the right calorie intake for your horse. Once you identify your horse as overweight, you can also include more exercise in its routine to help you fight against obesity.

Another important reason why you should check your horse’s weight is that weight is an important factor in determining the dosage of medicine for horses.

How to regulate the weight of an American Quarter horse?

To regulate the American Quarter horse’s weight, it is essential to feed them nutrient-rich feed.

Here’s a simple break down of the necessary nutrients in a horse’s feed.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates make up the bulk of a horse’s feed.

There are two types of carbohydrates:

Fibrous carbohydrates: they come from stems and grain coatings. Hay and dry fodder are rich in fibrous carbohydrates.

Non-fibrous carbohydrates: they are mainly starch and sugars that come from grains and seeds.

There should be a balance between fibrous and non-fibrous carbohydrates in a Quarter Horse’s diet.

Fats

Fats contain twice as much energy as proteins and carbohydrates do.

Therefore, fats are the best option to add to a horse’s feed, without exceeding the grain ration for weight gain.

Proteins

Proteins are an important part of a horse’s feed. They come from grains, soya bean beet pulp, and seeds.

Proteins are required to regulate enzymes and hormones in the horse’s body.

It is especially important to feed basic proteins to the horses because their bodies don’t make essential amino acid chains.

Minerals

Minerals include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine and magnesium, etc.

There are also some important trace minerals such as zinc, selenium, copper, cobalt, and iron. These are very important for the horse’s bones, especially for foals.

It is better to add mineral blocks to the fodder instead of relying on fortified grain mixes.

Vitamins

Vitamins are vital nutrients that the horse’s body doesn’t make. Therefore, they should be added in the feed.

Grasses, pastures, and grains naturally contain vitamin content.

Sunshine helps produce Vitamin D in a horse’s body.

Water

The importance of clean abundant water can never be overlooked.

Dehydration can cause illnesses and eventual death more readily than a deficiency of any of the previously mentioned nutrients.

Conclusion

The adult American Quarter horse can weigh anywhere from 900 to 1200 pounds.

Any weight in the given range can be healthy depending on the gender and type of Quarter Horse that you have.