For Sam and other horse lovers ( off topic)

[eSPO]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=441675&in_page_id=1811

Is 19 hands 3 1/2 " tall big ? can you put it in perspective ?

[slamm]

Well, a "hand" is equal to 4 inches.

So like the article states this horse is 79.5 inches tall or 6 feet, 7.5 inches tall.

I have been around several 19 hand draft horses, but this horse is only 1/2 inch shy of 20 hands, that is pretty big.

His weight of 2,400 pounds is not really amazing for draft horses. My neighbor raises clydesdales and had a mare that weighed 2,300 with a stud colt I helped deliver, Max, that ended up weighing 2,500 pounds.

For all practical purposes weightwise these size horses are much bigger than your average beef bull, certainly much taller. Because a 1,800 pound bull is fairly normal and 2,000-2,200 pounders being pretty big and not so common, but draft horses of this wieght is somewhat normal.

When an average horse (900-1,300 pounds) steps on your foot you say,"ouch" and then carry on with your duties.

When a draft horse (2,000+ pounds) steps on your foot you are wrecked, LOL.

One thing these draft breeds have though, is an incredible gentleness, they are quite laid back.

If I get a chance today, I will scan some pictures of me mowing hay with some draft horses when I was 14 years old.

Sam