Annie Perry, age 10, of Nashville, Tenn., for her question:

WHAT IS A 'HAND' USED TO MEASURE HORSES?

Horsemen measure the height of a horse in "hands," from the ground to the highest point of the withers. The withers is the ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse.

A hand equals four inches, which is the average width of a man's hand.

A 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 between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds.

The largest horses are draft horses and some of them weigh as much as 2,400 pounds. The smallest horses, such as Shetland ponies, may weigh only 300 pounds.