Kristy Love, age 11, of Salt Lake City, Utah, for her question:

WHAT IS A HAND USED TO MEASURE A HORSE?

 Horsemen measure the height of a horse in hands, from the ground to the highest point of the withers, or the ridge between the horse's  shoulder bones. A hand equals four inches, which is the average width of a man's hand. This method of measuring horses has been used for hundreds of  years. A horse that stands 14.2 (which is 14 hands and two inches), is actually 58 inches high. Any full grown horse that stands 14.2 hands or less is usually called a pony.

Some draft horses grow to be 20 hands high.

Most riding and racing breeds stand from 15 to 16.2 hands high and weigh from 1,000 to 1,400 pounds.