500 kg1,100 lb
A typical riding horse weighs about 500 kg (1,102 lb). Light riding breeds usually fall between 380 and 550 kg (840 to 1,210 lb), while big draft horses such as Shires reach 700 to 1,000 kg (1,540 to 2,200 lb). The heaviest horse on record, a Shire named Sampson, weighed about 1,524 kg (3,359 lb).
| Heaviest ever: Sampson, a ShireEstimated, 2.19 m (21.2½ hands) tall, England, 1850 | 1.52 t3,360 lb |
|---|---|
| Large draft horseDraft breeds usually weigh 700 to 1,000 kg | 1 t2,200 lb |
| Typical riding horseLight riding horses: 380 to 550 kg | 500 kg1,100 lb |
| Thoroughbred racehorse, age 3Average of 851 horses in Japan | 474 kg1,040 lb |
| Newborn foalAbout 10% of the mother’s weight | 50 kg110 lb |
| Smallest ever: Thumbelina, a miniature horse43 cm (17 in) tall | 26 kg57.3 lb |
Most horses people ride are light breeds standing 14 to 16 hands (142 to 163 cm) at the withers, and they weigh 380 to 550 kg (840 to 1,210 lb). Bigger riding horses, from about 15.2 hands (157 cm) up, usually weigh 500 to 600 kg (1,100 to 1,320 lb). Below 14.2 hands (147 cm), a horse is normally called a pony.
Racehorses sit in the middle of that range. A 2017 study of 851 Japanese Thoroughbreds found an average of 473.9 kg (1,045 lb) at age 3, with most horses within about 28 kg of that figure.
Draft breeds, bred to pull ploughs and wagons, are the heavyweights. They usually stand at least 16 hands (163 cm) and up to 18 hands (183 cm), and weigh 700 to 1,000 kg (1,540 to 2,200 lb), roughly twice as much as a typical riding horse.
The heaviest and tallest horse on record is Sampson, a Shire gelding foaled in 1846 and bred in Bedfordshire, England, later renamed Mammoth. By 1850 he measured 2.19 m (7 ft 2.5 in), or 21.2½ hands, and Guinness World Records lists his weight as 1,524 kg (3,359 lb). That weight is an estimate rather than a reading from a scale.
At the other end, the smallest horse on record is Thumbelina, a miniature horse that stood 43 cm (17 in) tall and weighed 26 kg (57 lb), less than 2% of Sampson’s weight.
Owners need the weight to work out feed and medicine doses, and most do not have a livestock scale. The University of Arkansas extension service recommends a tape measure and one formula: heart girth times heart girth times body length, divided by 330, with everything in inches and the answer in pounds.
Heart girth is measured all the way around the body just behind the front legs, over the highest point of the withers. Body length runs from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. For a horse with a 74 in girth and a 66 in body length: 74 × 74 × 66 = 361,416, and 361,416 ÷ 330 = about 1,095 lb (497 kg).
The formula is more reliable than judging by eye, but it is less accurate for pregnant mares and horses with unusual build. For tracking changes over time, measure at the same time of day, ideally in the morning before feeding.
A common guideline, based on a 2008 study by Debra Powell and colleagues, is that a horse should carry no more than 20% of its own weight, counting both rider and saddle. For a 500 kg horse that is 100 kg (220 lb) in total.
A 2020 study in the journal Animals tested this on horses of about 470 kg. A load of 100 kg, about 21% of their weight, raised surface temperatures along the neck and back, and raised heart rate, compared with a 50 kg load.
A typical riding horse weighs about 1,100 lb (500 kg). Light riding breeds usually weigh 840 to 1,210 lb, and draft horses 1,540 to 2,200 lb.
A newborn foal weighs about 10% of its mother’s weight. A 1,000 lb (454 kg) mare usually has a foal of about 100 lb (45 kg).
They can doze standing up, using a “stay apparatus” in their legs that keeps them from collapsing. For REM sleep they have to lie down, but only for an hour or two every few days.
Sampson, later called Mammoth, a Shire gelding foaled in England in 1846. He stood 2.19 m (21.2½ hands) tall and weighed an estimated 1,524 kg (3,359 lb).
Last checked October 2, 2026.
