A FULL SIXTEEN HANDS HORSE
At 6’2” I’ve never been accused of being small. In fact, my size 12 cowboy boots are an embarrassment in a world where the smaller the foot, the better. But that’s why I look for a fairly big horse. When I climb on some little Texas pony, my feet drag the trail.
My horse, Sundance, stands right at sixteen hands. In measuring a horse, a hand equals four inches. This measures from the ground to the top of the horse’s withers. So, a horse of sixteen hands stands about 64”. The horses where I live are larger than those in the southern plains. But, of course, men have been getting taller the past hundred years. So have their horses.
A Rare Sixteen Hands Find
Back in the Old West, a sixteen-hand horse was a rare find and considered as big a riding horse as there was. It’s not too surprising then that the cowboys took the term “a full sixteen hands” and began to apply it to men as well as horse.
Now, when applied to another cowhand, the term had nothing to do with a man’s size or build. It was the supreme compliment of the range to say a man was a full sixteen hands high because that meant he was as trustworthy, reliable and capable a man as ever rode a western trail.
What Mattered in Old West
A reputation meant a whole lot in the Old West. And a man who earned the title of a full sixteen hands had the highest and most noble reputation of all. Physical stature and looks meant little. A man’s strength of character and will impressed the most.
Now, I don’t think times have changed all that much. A man’s real strength can never be seen merely by glancing at his appearance.
God’s Point of View
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 pays more attention to inward attitudes. Some men stand a full sixteen hands. They might not look like body builders or ride tall horses but they have built lives of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and commitment to God’s principles. They are pillars of moral strength and families, churches, communities all across the country.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
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“A Full Sixteen Hands” Audio Podcast: SIXTEEN HANDS PODCAST