FYI--Measuring a horse--POA/Appaloosa

To determine how tall a horse is, a horse should be measured from the ground in a straight line up to the highest point of the withers. The withers being the highest point of his shoulder, Mary Ann. For the most accurate measurement the horse should be on firm, level ground with its front feet even, or close to even.
After you have measured your horse you will need to convert the results from inches to "hands." Horse height is correctly referred to by a unit of measurement known as a "hand." One hand is equal to four inches.
The correct way of writing "14 and one-half hands" is to write "14.2". It is not accurate to write it as "14.5". When correctly written, the number before the period is the number of hands, and the number after the period is the remaining number of inches. It is spoken as "fourteen two" and "fourteen and a half."
Now the history of measuring a horse by "hand" before the invention of measuring sticks is very interesting Mary Ann. If this bores anybody, I don't care because I think it is interesting as horses have been in the service of man, longer then tigers, elephants, or any animal.
In days long ago people did not have the common measuring devices (like tape measures, etc.) that we do today. To measure a horse, they used what was handy, their hands. At various times in history and in different locales a "hand" was defined as the width of a person's hand using the fingers only, or the width of a person's hand using the fingers and the thumb, or the height of a clenched fist, and possibly others. Somewhere along the way, the measuring unit of a hand was standardized to mean four inches.

Below you will note that the original maximum height of a POA was 52 inches, or 52 divided by 4, or "thirteen hands." The registry increased this measurement to 54 inches or "thirteen two". In 1986 the registry increased the height restriction to 56 inches, or 56 inches divided by 4, or "fourteen hands." John Herriott said, "I always referred to them as 14 hand small Appaloosa horses." I suggest he can refer to them as Basset Hounds if he choses, and in an unstandardized world that is the norm, but in fact they are not. They cannot be registered as Appaloosas either if they are fourteen hands. Appaloosa is a color breed, utilizing originally the blood of Appaloosa, Quarter horse, Thoroughbreds, as well as other breeds such a Morgan and Standardbreds. The Appaloosa registry now allows only the out crossing, since 1983 of the Quarter horse, Thoroughbred, and Arabian(thank you very much) in an effort to breed a prettier more athletic animal, and the registry allows 14.1 to 15.2 hands. Like a Paint is different from a Pinto, an Appaloosa is different from a Pony of America, is different from an animal with a spotted coat.