Clydesdale weight and height: size, the feed bill and feathering skin care

Oklahoma State describes the tallest horses as taller than the usual range without giving a height.

Why a scale beats a guess

In the University of Minnesota’s measurements, draft horse and warmblood owners and handlers misjudged their horses’ weights by about 115 pounds, or 7%, on average. For a horse this large the true figure matters for medicine doses and feed, so a scale reading, taken at a feed store or on a truck scale if need be, is worth the trip.

Daily hay for a 1,700 pound Clydesdale

A Clydesdale’s hay is the largest line in its budget. The arithmetic uses 1,700 pounds, the middle of Oklahoma State’s usual range, and Merck says draft breeds tend toward the lower end of the intake 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 1,700 lb, counting hay as 90% dry matter (Merck gives 88 to 90%).

Over a year, 2% of 1,700 pounds is about 34 pounds of dry matter a day, roughly 38 pounds of hay, or about 13,800 pounds, nearly 7 tons, of hay. This is our arithmetic and ignores waste.

• 1.5% of body weight: 26 lb (12 kg) of dry matter, about 28 lb (13 kg) of hay
• 2% of body weight: 34 lb (15 kg) of dry matter, about 38 lb (17 kg) of hay
• 2.5% of body weight: 43 lb (19 kg) of dry matter, about 47 lb (21 kg) of hay

A weight tape example for a Clydesdale

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 87 inches and a body length of 74 inches gives 87 x 87 = 7,569, times 74 = 560,106, divided by 330 = about 1,697 lb (770 kg). Those measurements are our illustration of the formula, not a real horse.

Merck says weight tapes are not suitable for draft horses, and in the University of Minnesota’s study draft horse and warmblood owners misjudged their horses’ weights by about 115 pounds, or 7%, on average. Treat a girth and length estimate as a rough guide, check it on a livestock scale when you can, and use the same method each time to follow the trend.

Feathering and chronic progressive lymphedema

The UC Davis Center for Equine Health says chronic progressive lymphedema has been described in Clydesdales, Shires, Belgians, Percherons, Friesians and several other heavy breeds. Lymph builds up in the lower legs, and skin folds, nodules and ulcers follow. The earliest swelling is often hidden under heavy feathering, which is why the legs may need clipping to find it, and the same feathering insulates the skin and helps bacterial and chorioptic mange infections take hold.

There is no successful permanent treatment. UC Davis lists management that includes treating infections, keeping feathers clipped short, daily exercise, routine hoof, ergot and chestnut trimming, dry footing, and compression bandaging applied by professionals. A horse with thickened lower legs or skin lesions needs your vet.

Muscle disease in draft breeds

UC Davis reports that PSSM1, a muscle disease with stiffness and tying up after exercise, is more common in Quarter Horses, related breeds and draft breeds. It is diagnosed by a genetic test on hair or blood. Management uses less than 12% non-structural carbohydrate in the diet, daily exercise, low sugar grass hay and a good ration balancer, so talk to your vet before changing the ration.

Body condition and weight bearing

In the University of Minnesota’s measurements, 42% of draft horses scored 7 or more on the 9 point scale, against 14% of stock horses, ponies and Arabians and 2% of warmbloods. Merck counts draft horses among the easy keepers and lists excess weight bearing among the causes of laminitis. Aim for a score of 4 to 6 and record it with each weight estimate.