arabians

Question
is it possible for purebred arabians to get over 16 hands?

Answer
While Arabians generally do not stand any higher than about 15.2 hands, on occasion you will run into one which is 16-17 hands tall. 16 hand Arabs are becomming more common as breeding tries to get height, but much higher than 16 is very rare.

So in answer to your question, yes, Arabians can get over 16 hands in height.