Do horses really grow much more after 5 years old?

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Or do they just fill out?
I have a 5 year old mare. She's by a 17hh Clydesdale...out of a 16.2hh Shire x Cob.
She's 16hh. Perfect for me but daughter was hoping for another inch or two. I see people saying that they can keep growing till 8 but is that heighwise or do they just fill out ? I must say, she has definitely filled out already.
We did the string test and she comes out as having another hand to go...so I guess we'll see.
Have any of you had horses that have grown in height after 5 yrs?
 
Yes! Irish draught X was just under 15.3 at 6 years old then by 8 was just under 16.2 😃 I always say he grew into the horse I needed as being tall always felt a little underhorsed when I first took him on loan. Actually haven’t measured him for a while, he’s 11 now. Out of curiosity I think I’ll double check him 😊
 
I bought a 17hh 5 year old ISH and now at 9 years he is over 18 hh. I have had new horse (ID xTB) for 9 months and he has gone from full up 16.3hh to just under 17.1hh.
 
I bought my WB x gelding aged 4 1/2 years old naively not realising he would keep growing and filling out (as I’d only ever owned TB’s previously). He was around 17.1/ 17.2hh or thereabouts when I bought him (out of a 16.1hh Cleveland Bay mare and by a 16.2hh Danish Warmblood). He weighed 785kg at the time.
He is now rising 12 and kept growing until around 8 months ago. He’s now been officially measured at 18.3hh and just shy of 900kg. 😳
 
Gosh yes - you could get a 16.3/17 by the time he's 8 with that breeding. Think your daughter will definitely get her 16.2.
 
My mare was 15.2 at 4, 16.1 at 5 and nearly 17hh at 6... and she’s gone bum high again
 
yes! Bought a 3 yaer old just under 14hh, at 5 he was around 14.2, between 5 and 8 he grew to 15.1, where thankfully he stayed
 
Definitely - my 9 year old ISH (Connie/ID/TB) was 14.3 at 3 years and is now 15.3 - she still seems to be growing lengthwise judging by the rugs that no longer fit - I've heard they finish around 10 🤔

String test was 100% accurate - so far anyway 😅
 
Another yes, especially with heavy breeding. My Clydex was bought at four at 15 hands, grew for three more years and at seven was less than half an inch off 16 hands.

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Not any of the ones I have ever owned and only a very tiny handful of the hundreds I have known. They can look bigger but if they were properly measured they arent actually any bigger at all, but then I find almost no one really knows how big their horse is anyway.
 
I bought a 5yr old new forest x (potentially crossed with a hippo or pig...) last year and she was 14.2. I realised a month or so ago how much bigger she is than my other 14.2. Turns out she’s now standing at 15.1 and a bit at 6 years old.
 
Leo Walker said:
Not any of the ones I have ever owned and only a very tiny handful of the hundreds I have known. They can look bigger but if they were properly measured they arent actually any bigger at all, but then I find almost no one really knows how big their horse is anyway.
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Really? In our case measuring with a spirit level measuring stick plus going up 2 rug sizes and counting plus photographic evidence proves otherwise 🙄
 
I wish mine would stop growing! And we have measured her with a stick. I’d bought a 15.2 hoping she would make 16hh and she’s now verging on 17hh! And I think there is more growing in there!!
 
Do thoroughbreds do this as well? I have a 15.2 just turned 4 year old who I’d love to grow a bit more
 
It's very individual...though ime TBs are less likely to keep creeping up than WBs or heavies.

Mine are measured annually with the vet's stick as well as a proper old school one so pretty sure I have a fairly accurate height for them!
 
Nudibranch said:
Mine are measured annually with the vet's stick as well as a proper old school one so pretty sure I have a fairly accurate height for them!
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I'm sure some do grow, but the majority dont. And you are definitely in the minority accurately knowing their heights!

I thought mine had grown, told everyone she had. She definitely looked to have grown substantially. Measured her. She hadnt grown at all. They can be very deceptive as they mature.
 
Leo Walker said:
Not any of the ones I have ever owned and only a very tiny handful of the hundreds I have known. They can look bigger but if they were properly measured they arent actually any bigger at all, but then I find almost no one really knows how big their horse is anyway.
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True! I'm useless at heights and don't even know exactly what height any of mine are beyind a decent guess.

I just know/knew when Chip was growing because he would be unlevel and either the back or front half would be higher and then level off.

He did go up in front just before his 7th birthday and then level off (not hoof trimming related! Ha ha) however he did have a bad start to life and has always been approx 1yr behind physically so that might account for such a late spurt?
 
Leo Walker said:
I'm sure some do grow, but the majority dont. And you are definitely in the minority accurately knowing their heights!

I thought mine had grown, told everyone she had. She definitely looked to have grown substantially. Measured her. She hadnt grown at all. They can be very deceptive as they mature.
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Yep I was so sure my warmblood had grown - bought as a (just) rising 5 year old from her breeder at 16.2. She was a real scrawny gangly weed with big knees and really looked like she hadn't 'finished' - breeder had bred the same cross before and said they'd all been late developers - Anyway, had her a couple of years and as a rising 7 year old she was completely unrecognisable, I was SURE she'd grown in every direction. She'd gone from a lanky awkward weed to an enormous imposing shiny slab of muscle who you wouldn't have ID'd as the same horse - Measured her - dead on 16.2 still, couldn't believe it.

I've found lots of people seem to make up their horse's height, I'm sure they believe they're correct - but I've met several people who airily declare their fairly compact TB is 17 hands, when you can see they're 16.1 at a push
 
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