Horse breeds · from TrotleyArabian horse weight and height: a smaller frame with three foal disease tests
Arabians are lighter than most riding breeds, usually 14.2 to 15.2 hands and 800 to 1,000 pounds, and the breed carries three inherited foal diseases that a DNA test can screen for before a mating.
Short answer
An Arabian usually weighs 800 to 1,000 pounds and stands 14.2 to 15.2 hands.
Oklahoma State University says most Arabians are 14.2 to 15.2 hands (58 to 62 inches) and weigh 800 to 1,000 pounds (363 to 454 kg). Virginia Cooperative Extension gives 14 to 15 hands and 900 to 1,000 pounds, and eXtension gives an average of 14.3 hands.
Oklahoma State University, Virginia Cooperative Extension and eXtension Horses
| Source | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State University | 14.2 to 15.2 hands | 800 to 1,000 lb |
| Virginia Cooperative Extension | 14 to 15 hands | 900 to 1,000 lb |
| eXtension Horses | 14.3 hands on average | Not given |
Heights and weights overlap closely across the three sources.
A light horse, and what that means for riders
At 900 pounds the 20% guideline from the University of Minnesota, about 180 pounds for rider and tack together, comes up sooner than it does with a heavier breed. The same page describes a study of Arabian endurance horses carrying 20% to 30% of their body weight, in which lameness was more common in the horses with smaller cannon bones. Cannon bone thickness, loin width, fitness and saddle fit all count along with the number on the scale.
Daily hay for a 900 pound Arabian
A 900 pound horse eats less in absolute terms than most riding breeds, so a pound or two of hay is a larger share of the day. The arithmetic uses 900 pounds, the middle of the Oklahoma State range.
Merck’s starting point for a healthy adult is 2 to 2.5% of body weight in feed dry matter a day, at least half of it forage, and 1.5% for an obese horse, with a warning that severe restriction can be harmful. These figures are our arithmetic from 900 lb, counting hay as 90% dry matter (Merck gives 88 to 90%).
- 1.5% of body weight: 14 lb (6 kg) of dry matter, about 15 lb (7 kg) of hay
- 2% of body weight: 18 lb (8 kg) of dry matter, about 20 lb (9 kg) of hay
- 2.5% of body weight: 23 lb (10 kg) of dry matter, about 25 lb (11 kg) of hay
A weight tape example for an Arabian
The horse weight calculator uses the adult equation in the Merck Veterinary Manual: heart girth squared times body length, in inches, divided by 330, gives pounds. A heart girth of 68 inches and a body length of 64 inches gives 68 x 68 = 4,624, times 64 = 295,936, divided by 330 = about 897 lb (407 kg). Those measurements are our illustration of the formula, not a real horse.
Merck notes the equation slightly underestimates real weight and that a scale is the only exact method, so measure the same way each time to keep the trend reliable.
Three foal diseases with DNA tests
The UC Davis Center for Equine Health describes three recessive conditions that appear in Arabians, and the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory offers an Arabian Health Panel. A mating of two carriers has a 25% chance of producing an affected foal.
- SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency): foals are born without a working immune system and die or are euthanized within the first six months. UC Davis recommends the test for lineages that have produced SCID foals.
- CA (cerebellar abiotrophy): affected foals look normal at birth, then develop head tremors and loss of balance, usually by six months. Horses with CA are unsuitable for riding or driving.
- LFS (lavender foal syndrome): foals cannot stand to nurse and are born with a lavender coat. UC Davis associates it with Egyptian bloodlines.
Tying up and muscle disease
UC Davis reports that PSSM2 and a related condition called myofibrillar myopathy have been found in Arabians. Both cause exercise intolerance, and no validated genetic test exists for them, so diagnosis uses a muscle biopsy. A horse that stiffens or sweats unusually after light work needs your vet.
Body condition
In the University of Minnesota’s measurements, 14% of stock horses, ponies and Arabians scored 7 or more on the 9 point scale, which Merck counts as overweight. Merck’s target is 4 to 6. The University of Georgia describes a 5 as a horse whose ribs cannot be seen but are easily felt, and whose neck and shoulder blend smoothly into the body.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Arabian horse weigh?
Oklahoma State says 800 to 1,000 pounds (363 to 454 kg) for most Arabians. Virginia Cooperative Extension gives 900 to 1,000 pounds.
How much does an Arabian eat a day?
For a 900 pound horse, 2% of body weight is 18 pounds of dry matter, about 20 pounds of hay, and 2.5% is 23 pounds, about 25 pounds of hay. Merck gives 2 to 2.5% as the usual range. These figures are our arithmetic.
Can an Arabian carry a 180 pound adult?
The University of Minnesota gives about 20% of ideal bodyweight, rider and tack included, as a comfortable load for an average adult light riding horse. For 900 pounds that is 180 pounds in total, so a 180 pound rider with tack goes past it. The page also notes lameness in Arabian endurance horses that carried 20% to 30%, especially those with smaller cannon bones.
Should I test an Arabian for SCID before breeding?
UC Davis recommends the SCID test for horses from lineages that have produced SCID foals, and says a carrier by carrier mating has a 25% chance of an affected foal. Ask your vet or the registry which tests suit your mare and stallion.
Sources
- Oklahoma State University, Breeds of Livestock: Arabian Horses
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Horseless Horse Project Unit 2 (4H-931)
- eXtension Horses, Light Horse Breed: Arabian
- UC Davis Center for Equine Health, Severe combined immunodeficiency
- UC Davis Center for Equine Health, Cerebellar abiotrophy
- UC Davis Center for Equine Health, Lavender foal syndrome
- UC Davis Center for Equine Health, Polysaccharide storage myopathy
- UC Davis Center for Equine Health, UC Davis horse tests
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Feeding Practices in Horses and Other Equids
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Nutritional Requirements of Horses and Other Equids
- University of Georgia Extension, Feeding strategies for peak performance in horses (B 1365)
- University of Minnesota Extension, Estimating actual and ideal bodyweight of adult horses
- University of Minnesota Extension, Guidelines for weight-carrying capacity of horses
Checked on October 2, 2026.
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See TrotleyMore in Horse breeds
- ThoroughbredA typical Thoroughbred weighs about 1,000 pounds and stands about 16 hands.
- MorganA Morgan weighs 900 to 1,100 pounds and stands 14.2 to 15.2 hands.
- StandardbredMost Standardbreds stand about 15.2 hands and weigh 800 to 1,000 pounds, though one extension source runs to 1,300.
- AppaloosaMost Appaloosas weigh 950 to 1,250 pounds and stand 14 to 16 hands.
- American Paint HorseA Paint Horse stands 14.2 to 15.2 hands and weighs about what a Quarter Horse does, 1,000 to 1,300 pounds.
- American Quarter HorseMost Quarter Horses weigh 1,000 to 1,300 pounds and stand 14.2 to 15.2 hands.
- Horse weight calculatorFree tool: Estimate a horse’s weight from heart girth and body length with the formulas in the Merck Veterinary Manual, for adults, yearlings and weanlings.
