Summarize the following:
Whether you are using a standard measuring tape or a horse-measuring device, write down your horse's measurement right away. This will help you remember it while you are dealing with handling your horse and putting away the measuring device. If the measurement is already in hands, it can be written with an "hh" at the end. This notation stands for "hands high." One hand equals 4 inches (10.2cm), so divide the measurement by 4. For example, if the horse measures 71 inches (180cm) tall, divide 71 by 4. The result is 17 hands with 3 inches (7.6cm) left over. The final height would be recorded as 17.3 hands. If the horse measuring stick or tape is being used, then the measurement can be recorded in hands immediately. The easiest way to do this is to convert the centimeter measurement into inches first. Simply take your centimeter measurement and multiply it by .39. This will give you the measurement in inches. Once the measurement is in inches, it can be divided by 4 and converted into hands. For example, if your horse is 162 centimeters tall, use the equation: 162 x .39. This equals 63.77 inches. When a horse's height includes a portion of a hand, it is written as a decimal after the whole hand measurement. However, it is not a standard decimal form. For a half hand, indicate the measurement with .2, which says that is 2 inches (5.1cm) in addition to full hands. Use .1 for a quarter hand and .3 for three-quarters of a hand. For example, if the horse is 16 whole hands and 3 inches (7.6cm) it should be written as 16.3. .1, .2, and .3 are the only decimals you will use. If the measurement is any bigger than that it will just be an additional whole hand. The height of a horse is used most often when buying or selling a horse. Having this measurement allows a person to know exactly how big a horse is and whether a horse will be the right size for them to ride or to do the kind of work they want done. For example, if you like having a horse that is not very tall so that you can get on an off of it easily, pick a horse a that is under 16 hands tall, as 16 hands tall is the height of an average horse. If you want a strong, tall horse so that it will have a lot of strength and stamina, consider getting a horse that is over 16 hands tall. A horse measuring under 14.3 hands high is, by definition, a pony, regardless of its breed.
Record the measurement. Convert a measurement in inches into hands, if necessary. Convert a centimeter measurement into hands, if necessary. Write portions of hands in a specific decimal form. Use height measurements to determine whether a horse is the size you want.