View source for Hand (unit)

{{Short description|Unit of length}}
{{Other uses|Hand (disambiguation)}}
{{for multi|the handbreadth or handsbreadth|Palm (unit)|the handspan|Span (unit)}}
{{Infobox unit
| image    = Hand Units of Measurement.PNG
| caption  = The hand (2) and palm (3) measurements shown, among others, on a human hand
| symbol   = h
| symbol2  = hh
| standard = [[Imperial units|Imperial]]/[[US customary units|US]] units
| quantity = [[Length]]
| units1   = Imperial/US units
| inunits1 = {{ubl|{{val|4|u=in}}|{{sfrac|3}} ft}}
| units2   = [[SI]] units
| inunits2 = {{ubl|{{val|101.6|u=mm}}|{{val|10.16|u=cm}}}}
}}

The '''hand''' is a non-[[SI]] [[unit of measurement]] of [[length]] standardized to {{cvt|4|in|1}}. It is used to measure the height of [[horse]]s in many English-speaking countries, including [[Australia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/national/downloads/2005/show_horse/EA%20measuring%20rules%20-%20update%202013.pdf |title=Equestrian Australia Measuring Rules Effective 1 July 2008 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2008 |website=equestrian.org.au/ |publisher=Equestrian Australia Limited |access-date=17 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125000949/http://equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/national/downloads/2005/show_horse/EA%20measuring%20rules%20-%20update%202013.pdf |archive-date=25 January 2013 }}</ref> [[Canada]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]].<ref name=omafra/> It was originally based on the breadth of a [[human]] hand.  The adoption of the [[Inch#Equivalents|international inch]] in 1959 allowed for a standardized [[Imperial and US customary measurement systems#Units of length|imperial form]] and a [[Metric system|metric]] conversion.{{CN|date=December 2023}} It may be abbreviated to "h" or "hh".<ref name=brander/>  Although measurements between whole hands are usually expressed in what appears to be decimal format, the subdivision of the hand is not decimal but is in [[radix|base 4]], so subdivisions after the [[radix point]] are in quarters of a hand, which are inches.<ref name=omafra/> Thus, 62 inches is fifteen and a half hands, or 15.2&nbsp;hh (normally said as "fifteen-two", or occasionally in full as "fifteen hands two inches").<ref name=omafra/>

==Terminology==
"Hands" may be abbreviated to "h", or "hh".  The "hh" form is sometimes interpreted as standing for "hands high".<ref>[http://www.allhorsebreeds.info/horse-terminology/horse-measurement-terms/108-how-big-is-a-hand.html "How big is a hand?"] ''AllHorseBreeds.info''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326132358/http://www.allhorsebreeds.info/horse-terminology/horse-measurement-terms/108-how-big-is-a-hand.html |date=2012-03-26 }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.unitconversion.org/length/hand-conversion.html Hand Conversion]</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.localriding.com/how-to-measure-a-horse.html |title=How to Measure a Horse {{!}} Horse Height and Weight |access-date=4 July 2011 |archive-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421045441/https://www.localriding.com/how-to-measure-a-horse.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> When spoken aloud, hands are stated by numbers, 15.0 is  "fifteen hands", 15.2 is alternately "fifteen-two" or "fifteen hands, two inches", and so on.<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=shlei/>

To convert inches to hands, the number in inches is divided by four, then the remainder is added after the [[radix point]]. Thus, a horse that measures 60 inches is 15 hands high (15 × 4 = 60) and a horse halfway between 15 and 16 hands is 15.2 hands, or 62 inches tall (15 × 4 + 2 = 62)<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref name=shlei/> Because the subdivision of a hand is a base 4 system, a horse 64 inches high is 16.0 hands high, not 15.4.<ref name=omafra/> A designation of "15.5 hands" is not halfway between 15 and 16 hands, but rather reads 15 hands and five inches, an impossibility in a base 4 radix numbering system, where a hand is four inches.<ref>[http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/HorseHeight.htm Measure Horse Height Accurately]</ref>

==History==
===Ancient Egypt===
{{main|Ancient Egyptian units of measurement}}
[[File:Coudée-turin detail.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Detail of the cubit rod in the [[Museo Egizio]] of [[Turin]], showing digit, palm, hand and fist lengths]]
The hand, sometimes also called a handbreadth or handsbreadth, is an [[anthropic unit]], originally based on the breadth of a [[male]] [[human]] hand, either with or without the thumb,<ref name=omafra/> or on the height of a clenched fist.<ref name=pant/>

On surviving [[Ancient Egyptian units of measurement|Ancient Egyptian]] [[Measuring rod#Ancient Egypt|cubit-rods]], the [[Cubit#Ancient Egyptian royal cubit|royal cubit]] is divided into seven [[Palm (length)|palms]] of four [[Digit (unit)|digits]] or [[Finger (unit)|fingers]] each.<ref name=selin/> Five digits are equal to a hand, with thumb; and six to a closed fist.<ref name=clagett/> The royal cubit measured approximately 525&nbsp;mm,<ref name=lepsius/> so the width of the ancient Egyptian hand was about 94&nbsp;mm.
{| class="wikitable"| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width: 75%; nowrap"
|+'''Ancient Egyptian units of length'''<ref name=clagett/>
!|Name!! |Egyptian name!!align="center"|Equivalent Egyptian values!! |Metric equivalent!! |Imperial equivalent 
|-
|Royal cubit ||  <small><hiero>M23-t:n-D42</hiero> </small> ''meh niswt'' || align="center" | 7 palms or 28 digits || align="center" | 525&nbsp;mm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; || align="center" |20.67 in
|-
|Fist ||  <!---<small><hiero>?</hiero> </small> '' ??? ''---> ||align="center" | 6 digits ||align="center" | 108&nbsp;mm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|| align="center" |4.25 in
|-
|Hand ||  <!---<small><hiero>?</hiero> </small> '' ??? ''---> ||align="center" | 5 digits ||align="center" | 94&nbsp;mm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|| align="center" |3.70 in
|-
|Palm ||  <small><hiero>D48</hiero> </small> ''shesep'' || align="center" | 4 digits||align="center" | 75&nbsp;mm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|| align="center" |2.95 in
|-
|Digit ||  <small><hiero> D50</hiero> </small> ''djeba'' || align="center" | 1/4 palm ||align="center" | 19&nbsp;mm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|| align="center" |0.75 in
|}

=== Biblical use ===
In Biblical [[exegesis]] the hand measurement, as for example in the Vision of the Temple, [[Authorized Version]] {{Bibleverse||Ezekiel|40:43|KJV}}, is usually taken to be [[palm (unit)|palm]] or handbreadth, and in modern translations may be rendered as "handbreadth"<ref name=niv/> or "three inches".<ref name=ncv/>

===United Kingdom===
{{main|English units of measurement}}

The hand is a traditional unit in the UK.<ref name=omafra/> It was standardised at four inches by a statute of King [[Henry VIII]], the [[Horses Act 1540]] ([[32 Hen. 8]]. c. 13),<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000017915533;view=2up;seq=822;size=300 32 Hen. 8. c. 13]: An Acte for Bryde of Horses.</ref><ref name=mort/> but some confusion between the various types of hand measurement, and particularly between the hand and the handsbreadth, appears to have persisted. Phillips's dictionary of 1706 gives four inches for the length of the handful or hand, and three inches for the handsbreadth;<ref name=phil/> [[Thomas Mortimer (writer)|Mortimer]] gives the same, three inches for the Hand's-breadth, and four for the "Handful, or simply, Hand",<ref name=mort/> but adds "The hand among horse-dealers, &c. is four-fingers' breadth, being the fist clenched, whereby the height of a horse is measured", thus equating "hand" with both the palm and the fist. Similarly, Wright's 1831 translation of [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Buffon]] mentions "A hand breadth (palmus), the breadth of the four fingers of the hand, or three inches",<ref name=buffon/> but the ''[[Encyclopædia Perthensis]]'' of 1816 gives under Palm (4): "A hand, or measure of lengths comprising three inches".<ref name=perth/>

==Use in measuring horses==
[[File:Horse-breeding in England and India - and army horses abroad (1906) (14580159299).jpg|thumb|Chart illustrating the increase in height of [[racehorse]]s, from 14&nbsp;hh (142&nbsp;cm) in 1700 to 15.{{frac|2|1|2}}&nbsp;hh (159&nbsp;cm) in 1900.]]
Today the hand is used to measure the height of [[horse]]s,<ref name=omafra/> [[pony|ponies]], and other [[Equus (genus)|equines]]. It is used in the US and also in some other nations that use the metric system, such as [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Canada]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and the UK. In other parts of the world, including continental Europe and in [[International Federation for Equestrian Sports|FEI]]-regulated international competition, horses are measured in metric units, usually metres or centimetres. In [[South Africa]], measurements may be given in both hands and centimetres,<ref name=omafra/> while in Australia, the equestrian regulations stipulate that both measurements are to be given.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/national/downloads/2005/show_horse/EA%20measuring%20rules%20-%20update%202013.pdf |title=Equestrian Australia Measuring Rules Effective 1 July 2008 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2008 |website=equestrian.org.au/ |publisher=Equestrian Australia Limited |access-date=17 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125000949/http://equestrian.org.au/site/equestrian/national/downloads/2005/show_horse/EA%20measuring%20rules%20-%20update%202013.pdf |archive-date=25 January 2013 }}</ref>

In those countries where hands are the usual unit for measuring horse height, inches rather than hands are commonly used in the measurement of smaller equines including [[miniature horse]]s/ponies,<ref name=amr/> miniature [[mule]]s,<ref name=amms/> [[donkey]]s,<ref name=alberta/> and [[Shetland pony|Shetland ponies]].<ref name=edwards/>

A horse is measured from the ground to the top of the highest non-variable point of the skeleton, the [[withers]].<ref name=omafra/> For official measurement, the spinous process of the fifth thoracic vertebra may be identified by palpation, and marked if necessary.<ref name=jmb/> Some varieties of Miniature horses are measured at the base of the last true hairs of the [[mane (horse)|mane]] rather than at the withers.<ref name=amr/>

For international competition regulated by the [[Fédération Équestre Internationale]] (FEI) and for [[United States Equestrian Federation|USEF]] competition in the US, a horse can be measured with [[horseshoe|shoes]] on or off. In the United Kingdom, official measurement of horses is overseen by the Joint Measurement Board (JMB). For JMB purposes, the shoes must be removed and the hooves correctly prepared for shoeing prior to measurement.<ref name=jmb/>

==See also==
*[[Anthropic units]]
*[[List of horse breeds]]
*[[List of unusual units of measurement]]
*[[Pony (disambiguation)#Fluid volume|Pony]]
*[[Span (unit)]]

==References==
<references>
<ref name=alberta>{{cite web|title=The Donkey|url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex598#Classification|publisher=Government of Alberta: Agriculture and Rural Development|access-date=3 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116094249/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex598#Classification|archive-date=16 November 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=amms>{{cite web|title=About Miniature Mules|url=http://www.miniaturemulesociety.com/AboutMiniatureMules.html|publisher=The American Miniature Mule Society|access-date=3 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624165323/http://miniaturemulesociety.com/AboutMiniatureMules.html|archive-date=24 June 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=amr>{{cite web|title=Show Rules. Standards of Excellence: Miniature & Small Horse|url=http://www.ausminreg.com.au/show-rules.html|publisher=Australian Miniature Horse & Pony Registry|access-date=3 July 2011|archive-date=7 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907193923/http://www.ausminreg.com.au/show-rules.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name=brander>{{cite book|last=Brander|first=Michael|title=The Complete Guide to Horsemanship|year=1971|publisher=A & C Black|location=London|isbn=0-7136-1701-2|pages=444}} p.409</ref>

<ref name=buffon>{{cite book|last=Le Clerc|first=George Louis, Comte de Buffon|title=A natural history of the globe: of man, of beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects and plants Volume 5|year=1831|publisher=Gray and Bowen; Thomas Desilver, Jr|location=Boston; Philadelphia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hWZHAAAAYAAJ|others=John Wright (trans.)}}</ref>

<ref name=clagett>{{cite book|last=Clagett|first=Marshall|title=Ancient Egyptian Science, A Source Book. Volume 3: Ancient Egyptian Mathematics|year= 1999|publisher= American Philosophical Society|location= Philadelphia|isbn= 978-0-87169-232-0|url= https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8c10QYoGa4UC}}</ref>

<ref name=edwards>{{cite book|last=Edwards|first=Elwyn Hartley|title=The Encyclopedia of the Horse|year=1994|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=London|isbn=0-7513-0115-9|edition=1st}} p.176</ref>

<ref name=jmb>{{cite web|title=JMB measurement|url=http://www.thejmbonline.co.uk/jmb%20measurement.htm|publisher=The Joint Measurement Board|access-date=30 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326114455/http://www.thejmbonline.co.uk/jmb%20measurement.htm|archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=lepsius>{{cite book|last=Lepsius|first=Richard|title=Die altaegyptische Elle und ihre Eintheilung|year=1865|publisher=Dümmler|location=Berlin|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_PRQGAAAAQAAJ|language=de}}</ref>

<ref name=mort>{{cite book|last=Mortimer|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Mortimer (writer)|title=A general dictionary of commerce, trade, and manufactures: exhibiting their present state in every part of the world; and carefully comp. from the latest and best authorities|year=1810|publisher=R. Phillips|location= London|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FdovAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

<ref name=ncv>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2040:43-40:43&version=NCV Ezekiel 40:43] New Century Version</ref>

<ref name=niv>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2040:43-40:43&version=NIV Ezekiel 40:43] New International Version</ref>

<ref name=omafra>{{cite web|title=The "Hand" Measurement for Horses|url=http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_hands.htm|publisher=Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ontario, Canada|access-date=30 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822161506/http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_hands.htm|archive-date=22 August 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=pant>{{cite book|last=Good, J.M., O. Gregory, N. Bosworth|title=Pantologia: A new cyclopaedia, comprehending a complete series of essays, treatises, and systems, alphabetically arranged; with a general dictionary of arts, sciences and words, the whole presenting a distinct survey of human genius, learning and industry; illustrated with engravings, those on history being from original drawings by Edwards and others|year=1813|publisher=Kearsley|location=London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NOZTAAAAYAAJ}} "Hand (2)"</ref>

<ref name=perth>{{cite book|last=[n.a.]|title= Encyclopædia Perthensis; or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, etc., intended to supersede the use of other books of reference, Volume 16|year= 1816|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=SVAKAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>

<ref name=phil>Phillips, Edward, John Kersey (ed.) (1706) [https://books.google.com/books?id=PHBUAAAAYAAJ ''The new world of words: or, Universal English dictionary. Containing an account of the original or proper sense, and various significations of all hard words derived from other languages. Together with a brief and plain explication of all terms relating to any of the arts and sciences; to which is added, the interpretation of proper names''] The sixth edition, revised ... With the addition of near twenty thousand words London</ref>

<ref name=selin>{{cite book|editor-last=Selin|editor-first=Helaine|editor-link=Helaine Selin|title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine in non-Western Cultures|year=1997|publisher=Kluwer|location=Dordrecht|isbn=978-0-7923-4066-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=raKRY3KQspsC}}</ref>

<ref name=shlei>{{cite web|url=http://www.lovelongears.com/hands.html  |author=Shlei |title=Just how tall is a hand?  |work=Measuring Equines|publisher= The American Donkey and Mule Society| access-date = 2007-05-19}}</ref>
</references>
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Imperial units}}
{{United States Customary Units}}

[[Category:Customary units of measurement in the United States]]
[[Category:Horses]]
[[Category:Human-based units of measurement]]
[[Category:Imperial units]]
[[Category:Units of length]]