On Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 11:40:52AM -0700, Lorraine wrote: > Mine are supposed to be 13.2. But Dagur is a bit > taller. I have never measured a horse in my life.
stjarni was claimed as 14hh, 1000# when i bought him. when i tried to measure him (with one of those roll-up paper tapes, not highly recommended) i got 13.2 and a little, and 870# in weight. (he *had* lost a bunch of weight, so at least that part pretty much made sense.) then unshod and freshly trimmed and in a rubber-over-cement stall, with a leveled stick, he measured at 13.3 and a quarter. i swear this is one of the sillier aspects of horse lore. a bit depends on current foot growth and footwear, just as in humans height depends on time of day (i am just about 5'1" first thing in the morning, and gravity compresses my spine down half an inch or so over the course of a typical day, never mind my posture and if my lower back hurts). i swear if it weren't for the obsession with the word "pony" and the height "14.2" and the (european mostly) obsession with "show ponies are to be ridden by children only) and the american obsession with "ponies are for kids and little old ladies only" nobody would give quite so big a hoot over an inch this way or that. iceland lacks that divisive definition, and also appears to lack that divisive attitude, except perhaps for the export market. i am reminded of much of the spam i receive, also horrifyingly obsessed over an inch this way or that, but it would be in poor taste to discuss that further in this family forum ;) --vicka
