Why is it so hard to get accurate measurements from equestrians? Recently I wrote about buying a saddle on eBay that was not the size claimed in the listing.
The experience brought to mind a joke that I read a month or so ago, I believe it was on COTH but don’t hold me to it.
The joke was: Why can’t women parallel park? Because men have been telling them that 5″ is really 10″.
I feel that way about the saddle. But on reflection I realized that in the equestrian world, an inch or so one way or the other is often glossed over. Of course, it’s not just women who can’t measure. Everyone seems to have fallen into the super sizing trap.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to see a horse for sale that was advertised as 16.2 only to find that it was maybe 15.3 if it was standing on a hill next to you. Or, maybe it was 16.2 at the withers, but it’s back was 15.2.
Is it wishful thinking? People know that taller horses often fetch higher prices. I suppose that some people inflate their horse’s height because they think it will attract prospective buyers; other have never measured their horse and just guess too big. But size is not something you can fake for long.