Hand (length) 221081 215116146 2008-05-26T19:53:20Z Sanawon 7109840 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/75.2.135.187|75.2.135.187]] ([[User talk:75.2.135.187|talk]]) to last version by ClueBot {{seealso|hand}} {{Hand_Measurements}} A '''hand''' (or '''handbreadth''') is a unit of length [[measurement]], originally based on the breadth of a [[male]] [[human]] hand and now standardized at 4 inches (about 10 [[centimetre|cm]]). When used to measure height, it is abbreviated "h" (for "hands") or "hh" ("hands high").<ref>[http://www.helium.com/tm/184988/measure-horses-hands Measuring horses]</ref> Today the Hand is primarily used to describe the height of [[horse]]s, [[pony|ponies]], and other [[equid|equines]] in a number of different countries, including the [[United States|USA]], [[Australia]], and the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. In this context, one hand equals four [[inch]]es (10.16&nbsp;cm), and the horse is measured from the ground to the top of the [[withers]]. <ref>[http://www.lovelongears.com/hands.html Shlei, "Just how tall is a hand?"] ''Measuring Equines'', The American Donkey and Mule Society, accessdate = 2007-05-19</ref> So a horse that is 15&nbsp;hands high (abbreviated 15&nbsp;hh) is 60&nbsp;inches (152&nbsp;cm) from the ground to the top of the withers. Instead of [[decimal]] or vulgar [[fractions]], a hand comprises four inch-long steps, so a horse 62&nbsp;inches (157&nbsp;cm) tall would be 15.2&nbsp;hh (spoken as “fifteen two hands high”). An animal between inch increments may be measured by fractions, for example, a very tall pony might be 14.1-3/4 hh (57-3/4 inches) A [[pony]] is up to 14.2hh (147 cm or 58 inches). An animal 14.2 hh or taller is classified as a horse. However, [[list of horse breeds|breed characteristics]] also play a role in defining animals as horses or ponies, particularly in breeds that may have some [[purebred]] representatives on both sides of the 14.2 divide. In the United States, ponies in [[horse show]] competition, particularly for [[show hunter|hunter]]/[[show jumping|jumper]] classes, are sometimes further subdivided into sections, depending on height: * Small Pony: 12.2 hh or smaller * Medium Pony: larger than 12.2 hh, up to 13.2 hh * Large Pony: larger than 13.2 hh, but shorter than 14.2 hh {{seealso|pony}} A [[miniature horse]] is either shorter than 9.2 or 8.2 hh, depending on the registry. The world's smallest horse, [[Thumbelina (horse)|Thumbelina]], is just 4.1 hh.<ref>[http://www.worldssmallesthorse.com/ Web Site for Thumbelina]</ref> For [[Fédération Equestre Internationale]] (FEI) competition and for [[USEF]] competition in the USA, a horse can be measured with shoes on or off. In the [[United Kingdom]] much official measurement of horses is overseen by the Joint Measurement Board (JMB).<ref>[http://www.thejmbonline.co.uk/ (Joint Measuring Board)]</ref> For JMB purposes, the shoes must be removed before measurement. ==See also== *[[Horse]] *[[Pony]], includes discussion of when height alone may not define an animal as a horse or a pony. *[[List of horse breeds]], includes a discussion of the differences between horses and ponies ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Horses]] [[Category:Units of length]] [[Category:Imperial units]] [[Category:Customary units in the United States]] [[Category:Human-based units of measure]] {{standard-stub}} [[ast:Palmu]] [[de:Handbreit]] [[es:Palmo]] [[fr:Main (unité)]] [[he:טפח]] [[uz:Hend]] [[pt:Palmo]] [[ru:Хэнд]]