Stephen with horse Sundance
A FULL SIXTEEN HANDS by Stephen Bly
At 6’2” I’ve never been accused of being small. In fact, my size 12 cowboy boots prove embarrassing in a rodeo and ranch world where the smaller the foot, the better. So I pick out fairly big horses. When I climb on some little Texas pony, my feet drag the trail. And my horse Sundance stands right at sixteen hands.
In measuring a horse, a hand equals four inches. This gauge ranges from the ground to the top of the horse’s withers. So, a horse of sixteen hands stands about 64” tall.
Scope of a Horse & a Man
The horses where I live rank larger than the animals in the southern plains. Funny how men have been getting taller the past hundred years or more. So have their horses.
Back in the Old West, you rarely could find a sixteen-hand horse, considered as large a riding horse as existed. It’s not too surprising cowboys took the term “a full sixteen hands” and applied it to men as well. When applied to another cowhand, the term had nothing to do with a man’s size or build. This supreme compliment referred to a man’s character as trustworthy, reliable, and capable a man as ever rode a western trail.
A Sixteen-Hand Reputation
Stephen in chaps with Sundance
Reputation meant a whole lot in the Old West. A man who earned the title of being a full sixteen hands held the highest and most noble respect of all. In the Old West physical stature and looks meant little. It was the strength of character and will that impressed the other men. Now, I don’t think times have changed all that much. A man’s real strength can never be seen merely by a glance at his appearance.
The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7; Galatians 2:6).
The Lord doesn’t pay attention to the same details as humans do. Some men still stand today a full sixteen hands. They might not look like body builders or ride tall horses but they built a life of honest and integrity, loyalty and commitment to God’s principles. They provide pillars of moral strength for families, churches, and communities all across the country.
They’re the standard by which all the rest of us get measured.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
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“Full Sixteen Hands” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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