Supply
Cost: Under $50
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Weight Tape
Cost: Under $50
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Summary
A weight tape is an inexpensive measuring tape that you wrap around the horse's heart girth — just behind the elbows and over the withers — to estimate body weight. It is one of the most useful and most overlooked items in a kit. A reasonable estimate of body weight is essential for dosing medications accurately and for feeding correctly; judging a horse's weight by eye is notoriously unreliable, and dosing errors can mean either an under-dose that does not work or an over-dose that causes harm.
Keep in mind that a weight tape gives an estimate, not an exact weight. Tapes are calibrated to an average adult horse, so they are less accurate for ponies, draft breeds, heavily pregnant mares, and growing foals. Even so, a tape measurement is far better than eyeballing. Buy one at any feed or tack store, keep it in your kit, and measure consistently — same spot, horse standing square on level ground.
Some also have a measuring tape on the other side to measure height. It is not as accurate as a measuring stick but again better than guessing.
Keep in mind that a weight tape gives an estimate, not an exact weight. Tapes are calibrated to an average adult horse, so they are less accurate for ponies, draft breeds, heavily pregnant mares, and growing foals. Even so, a tape measurement is far better than eyeballing. Buy one at any feed or tack store, keep it in your kit, and measure consistently — same spot, horse standing square on level ground.
Some also have a measuring tape on the other side to measure height. It is not as accurate as a measuring stick but again better than guessing.