breeding; height on mares v stallions

Zebedee

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2006
Messages
6,447
Visit site
I sent my 16.2h TB mare to a shire (talked to vets first tho!). She was fine & foal (another unsold home bred) is now 6yrs old 17.3 & jumping 1.10m tracks with ease.
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
Topper (who incidently was 1/2 Uncle to the lad that Zebedee mentions above) was out of a 15.1hh TB and by an 18.1hh Shire. He grew to 17.1hh. Bless him, he came out a tad wonky infront and had other problems to boot. I had him for the last year and 4 days of his life. I truely believe that had the mare been bigger or the stallion smaller, he would not have had the problems he had. RIP Big Fella!
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
Forgot to say, that I don't have a problem with that kind of height difference, if it is the stallion that is the smaller of the two!
 

Zebedee

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2006
Messages
6,447
Visit site
The shire x did come out slightly 'windswept' behind, but nothing that a good farrier couldn't (& did!) put right.
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
I think that was T's problem from the beginning tbh J! His main problem was his RF - off set knee and axial twist from the knee to fetlock, he always took a slightly shorter stride with that leg, as it's flight path wen t so far out side ways first, rather than forwards.....

Your girlie was what, five inches bigger than his dam? B is 16.2 (with shoes on) and there is a 17.3hh chap up North that I have my eye on for her.....
 

niashadow

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 July 2006
Messages
362
Location
near Swansea
Visit site
My Arabian mare 15HH was put to an Oldenburg Warmblood 16.3 called Abraham. Covered mare 4 times to this stallion with no problems
smile.gif
 

Zebedee

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2006
Messages
6,447
Visit site
I wouldn't hesitate using a 17.3 on a 16.2. - esp not with a good 'roomy' mare like B!
My mare throws big anyway -had we known that we probably wouldn't have used the shire. The 3yr old filly by a 16h coloured is now about 16.3, and as you know the latest one is by a 14.3 & is likely be 15.2 / 15.3 at maturity!
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
I had a picture of this chap I have in mind, but now I can't find it anywhere - Google is NOT helping me! He's a coloured called Mojo - Coppertop knows him, or at least where he stands I think...
 

Zebedee

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2006
Messages
6,447
Visit site
Oops - hope this isn't a thread hi-jack!
Not me riding. He's six but has only been in proper work since May of this year. This photo was taken in August.
Lovely forward attitude & just finds this jumping lark soooo easy, but still a bit baby clumsy!
 

henryhorn

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 October 2003
Messages
10,503
Location
Devon UK
www.narramorehorses.blogspot.com
When we first stood a stallion at stud we accepted any mare that came, and learned the hard way that often it isn't the foaling is a problem, it's the covering!
Our stallion 16.1.hh covered mares from 14 hh up to 17.2 hh and we learned to help him with a dip in the ground or a little hill. Physically covering a lightweight 14hh is tough on the mare, the sheer bulk and weight on her back isn't advisable, and we swore never to do that again. The resulting foal was beautiful and won lots of WHP classes yet the mare was awful, a 14 hh runt.
Nature seems to sort out the actual size of the foal to suit the mare (I understand one of the University hospitals has done research into impregnating shires into shetlands) but personally I would advocate a minimum size of 15hh mare to a 16.2hh stallion, and take into acount the mare's own parents' size and build.
 

k9h

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2005
Messages
3,919
Visit site
Going back about 18 yrs ago we took a shetland to a show & she wouldn't do anything (not that this was ususual for Sue!) but the next day she had a foal!!!
confused.gif
No we did breed from our fell mare who we but to TB stallions anyhow her last foal Punch (he was a weadling as a yearling so we left him till he was 2 before cutting him. Unfortunetly he must of realised what his bits were for in that time! Punch rose to about 15.2hh when mature.
So Sue had a filly Zara who grew to around 12.3hh had was a cracking litlle mare a bugger to break but after that taught so many kids how to ride & me to fall off!!
We also bred from Zara later in life we put her to a Dales Stallion & had a cracking colt out of her called Herbie who grew to around 15.1hh & was a stunning chap & a dream to break.
So the mistake Zara turned out to be a good thing & we had 5 generations at onetime on the farm.
 

Gingernags

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 August 2004
Messages
5,787
Location
She's behind you... heh heh heh!!!
Visit site
Kind of hijacking but in the same topic...

My mare is 15hh, well officially 14.3 and 1/2 (just to be awkward) Her dam was a 14.2 TBx mare, her sire a 16hh TB.

I want to breed something 15hh/15.1, not under.

Most of the Arab stallions I've seen are 14.3

I'm risking a pony breeding to them aren't I? More likely need a 15.2 or 15.1 stallion?

Or will the fact that Asti's dad was 16hh, and grandsire on dam's side was another 15.2 at least TB - mean I'll maybe get a bit bigger?

I think, its a shame as the 14.3 is VERY local, I'm going to have to travel further for a bigger stallion...
 

MillionDollar

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2006
Messages
7,938
Location
The Best Shire
Visit site
My two 13.2 NF mares are in-foal to a 16hh Warmblood, so fingers crossed all will be fine.

I've been told by loads of people that the rule is that mares can be covered by a stallion 2-3 hands bigger. The foal will only grow to the size that the mare can cope with (in the womb). Its like our corgie bitch accidently got covered by a huge labrador, and had 4 healthy pups with no problem because they didn't get too big.
 

MillionDollar

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2006
Messages
7,938
Location
The Best Shire
Visit site
Genetics are very very funny!

Friend has bred many many foals. One was supposed to be a 12hh welsh A pony, dam and sire had bred before, shes only grown to 42 inches and is now registered as a British Minature, gorgeous though. Another was bred from a 14.1 mare to a 15.2 stallion. Foal grew to 16.3+!!! Massive, so things don't always go as planned.
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
LMAO MD! A stud I worked on about 12 yrs ago had a little 15.1hh WCxConnie mare and about 4 years before I was there, she had ahd twins, by a 16hh TB stallion. She had been scanned, but missed + I suppose in the sport horse world it was earlyish days for scanning.... Anyway, one grew to 16.2hh and the other 17.1hh......
 

S_N

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
14,109
Location
Toliman
Visit site
I know - I didn't believe it tbh, but that's what my boss told me, that these 2 horse were twins.....

They are the only twins that I personally have known to survive.
 

trelawnyhorses1

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 July 2006
Messages
373
Location
South West
Visit site
thanks for all ur forts we have a 15.hh mare who was an orphan so didnt grow to her full potential (shud of finished at about 16hh) she has had her first foal and we have been debating about how big to go on her, she is quite roomy for her type
 
Top