Hand (unit)

From Freepedia

A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length measurement, usually based on the breadth of a male human hand and thus around 1 dm, i.e. 10 cm.

Today it is only used for the height of horses in the United States and the United Kingdom. In this context, one hand equals four inches (10.16 cm). The horse is measured from the ground to the top of the withers. So a horse that is 15 hands high (abbreviated 15 hh) is 60 inches from the ground to the top of the withers. Instead of decimal or vulgar fractions, three inch-long steps are being used between the hands, so a horse 62 inches tall would be 15.2 hh (said “fifteen two hands high”).

See also: hand.