# Average horse weight by breed and type > Typical weights for riding breeds and draft horses, why the same breed varies, and how to get a number for your own horse with a tape or a scale. Canonical: https://lucernel.com/guides/average-horse-weight Last updated: 2026-10-11 Type: Guide. Publisher: Lucernel. ## Short answer Riding breeds such as the Morgan weigh about 900 to 1,100 pounds, and draft horses can top 2,000 pounds, with Percherons averaging about 1,900. These are typical ranges, not limits: build, height, age, fitness and feed all change the number. To know your own horse's weight, measure it. - **Choose this if:** A weight tape and a notebook are enough if you only want a rough number once in a while. - **Choose the other option if:** Trotley helps when you want every weight you take kept per horse, charted over time and ready to hand to the vet. ## Side by side | | Tape and notebook | Trotley | | --- | --- | --- | | Gives you an estimate from a measurement | Yes, a rough one from a girth tape | No, it keeps the weights you take | | Keeps a weight history per horse | Partly, if you write it down | Yes | | Shows the trend as a chart | No | Yes | | Handles several horses | Partly, one page each | Yes | | Stores papers and photos with the horse | No | Yes | | Works without a connection | Yes, nothing to connect | Yes, offline first, with optional private iCloud sync | | PDF report for the vet | No | Yes | | Availability | Sold at most feed and tack stores | Trotley keeps care that is due, events that happened and documents you need to find. | ## Average horse weight by breed and type There is no single average horse. Weight depends on breed and type, and the ranges overlap. Extension Horses, a national Cooperative Extension resource, gives one clear figure for a light riding breed: the average Morgan is 14.2 to 15.2 hands and 900 to 1,100 pounds. One hand equals 4 inches. Other light riding breeds stand in the same general range. The same extension site lists Quarter Horses at generally 14.2 to 15.2 hands, Arabians at an average of 14.3 hands, Standardbreds at an average of 15.2 hands and Thoroughbreds at about 16 hands. Taller breeds usually weigh more, but height alone does not give a weight. Draft horses are much heavier. Extension Horses says the draft horse stands 15 to more than 18 hands and can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. The Percheron Horse Association of America says Percherons can weigh up to 2,300 pounds, with the average around 1,900 pounds, and that most mature Percherons stand 16 to over 18 hands. - Morgan: about 900 to 1,100 lb - Percheron: average about 1,900 lb, up to 2,300 lb - Draft horses in general: can exceed 2,000 lb ## Why the same breed varies A breed average describes a group, not your horse. The Percheron association itself gives both an average and a maximum that are 400 pounds apart, and a range such as 900 to 1,100 pounds for the Morgan spans 200 pounds. Height, build, age and how much fat a horse carries all move the number. Two horses of the same breed and the same height can differ by many pounds, so treat any breed figure as a rough guide and weigh or measure the horse in front of you. ## Your eye is not a scale People are poor at guessing horse weight, even people who work with horses. In a study of 77 farm managers and 62 veterinarians, visual examination failed to produce a reasonable weight estimate nearly 100 percent of the time. They guessed low 87.5 percent of the time, by 186 pounds on average, and nearly 60 percent underestimated all five horses they were shown. A rough 1,000-pound guess can be fine for some purposes. For deworming, the extension article notes that modern drugs have wide safety margins, so overdosing is a remote risk, but underdosing can happen easily and some researchers think it may contribute to resistance. For working out how much a horse should eat each day, a true weight is a definite asset. ## How to estimate weight with a tape The quick way is a heart girth weight tape, sold at nearly any feed store or tack shop for a couple of dollars. Wrap it snugly around the barrel, over about the heart girth, and read the number. Extension Horses says to expect a tape to be off by as much as 100 pounds in either direction. Tapes are not suited to every horse. The same source calls them completely useless for pregnant mares, foals and miniature horses and nearly useless for very fit racehorses. Its girth-to-weight chart stops at 1,300 pounds, so it does not cover the heaviest draft horses. For any of these, ask your vet or use a scale. For a step-by-step method with a girth and length formula, see how to weigh a horse without a scale. ## A scale is better, and consistency matters most A portable scale is the most accurate way to determine a horse's weight, but few farms own one. If you can borrow one, weigh at the same time every day and either before or after feeding every time, because feeding and watering change the reading. Whatever method you use, use the same method each time. None of the estimating systems completely replaces a scale, but used consistently over time they are often more accurate than the eye, and the trend is what tells you a horse is gaining or losing. ## Weight is one number, condition is another A body condition score ranks a horse's fat cover and helps you judge the balance between the food it eats and the energy it burns, according to the Extension Horses lesson on it. Two horses with the same weight can look very different. Write down the weight, the date and how the horse looked. If your horse is losing weight without a clear reason, or is hard to keep weight on, call your veterinarian rather than only changing the feed. Disclosure: Trotley is made by Lucernel, the publisher of this article. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the average weight of a horse? There is no single average. A Morgan averages about 900 to 1,100 pounds, and draft horses can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. Your own horse can fall outside its breed's typical range. ### How much does a draft horse weigh? Draft horses can weigh more than 2,000 pounds. The Percheron association says Percherons can reach 2,300 pounds, with an average around 1,900 pounds. ### How accurate is a horse weight tape? It can be off by as much as 100 pounds either way. It is not suited to foals, pregnant mares or miniature horses, so ask your vet for those. ### Is 1,000 pounds a good guess for any horse? It can be a rough ballpark, but in one study professionals guessed low 87.5 percent of the time, by 186 pounds on average. For dosing or feeding, measure. ### Is Trotley available? See the official app page for current availability and pricing. ## Our pick: Trotley, a weight history for every horse A tape gives you a number once. Trotley keeps each weight you take with the horse's other records, charts the trend, and lets you hand a PDF report to the vet. It does not replace the tape or scale: you bring the measurement. It fits one horse as well as a small stable and works offline. - Weight history charted per horse - Vaccinations, farrier, dental and medication in the same record - PDF reports and CSV export for the vet or a new owner [See how Trotley works](https://lucernel.com/apps/trotley) ## Sources (checked 2026-10-01) - [Extension Horses: Estimating body weight from measurements](https://horses.extension.org/estimating-body-weight-from-measurements/) - [Percheron Horse Association of America: Percheron breed card](https://www.percheronhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Percheron_breed_cards_web.pdf) - [Extension Horses: How to body condition score horses](https://horses.extension.org/horsequest-learning-lessonhow-to-body-condition-score-horses/) - [Extension Horses: Light horse breed Morgan](https://horses.extension.org/light-horse-breed-morgan/) - [Extension Horses: Draft horse breeds](https://horses.extension.org/draft-horse-breed/) - [Extension Horses: Light horse breed Quarter Horse](https://horses.extension.org/light-horse-breed-american-quarter-horse/) - [Extension Horses: Light horse breed Arabian](https://horses.extension.org/light-horse-breed-arabian/) - [Extension Horses: Light horse breed Thoroughbred](https://horses.extension.org/light-horse-breed-thoroughbred/) - [Extension Horses: Light horse breed Standardbred](https://horses.extension.org/light-horse-breed-standardbred/)