Has anyone had a horse mature/change shape a bit past 8yo?

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maya2008

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We have two turning 8 this year. The first has been here since 5yo and very much looks mature. Everything ‘fits’ now and is in proportion. The other is still slightly not in proportion with himself. Not so much it will negatively affect him if he stays this way, but he’s a purebred NF so I would expect him to look more in proportion as a mature pony. He was gelded at 3, if that would make a difference, and spent much of his life on the forest. Is there a chance he will mature more this year? He’s officially 8 in April.
 
I have, but mine is a Belgian Draft cross ( not the one in my icon) so would be expected to mature later. He is nearly 12 and has definitely changed since he was 8, even allowing for the fact that he had major surgery in his eighth year.
 
Yes, mum had a horse who didn't look mature till 9. He had a very poor start (borderline neglect) and he didn't muscle up and look 'grown' till 9.

He didn't grow height etc wise after 6, but just never matured into his frame, if that makes sense, till he was 9. We owned him and fed him well from 14months.
 
My pony was seven when I got him and had never done anything more than give small children rides on a lead rein. He was narrow in front with no visible withers. After two years of in hand work, gentle schooling and hacking he now has a decent space between his front legs and a wither. He definitely started looking more balanced and better put together as he became better muscled. We did and still do a lot of slow work, basic lateral work and poles.
 
My Charlie-Horse didn't mature until he was 8. He was bought as a runt at 5. He was well under 16hh at 5, and only just shy of 17hh at 8. He was half ID though and I think they do mature more slowly, plus he was a real runt at 5 (ewe neck, hippy etc); my vet even warned not to work him on anything much until a year had passed.

He turned into a fabulous horse.
 
Thanks all! There is hope then. More muscle will definitely happen with time, but his neck looks too short still and there are a few other little bits that don’t quite fit!
 
My Fell is rising 10 this year, and it definitely wasn't until last year that he finally looked like the finished product as it were.

I've always taken things very slowly with him and didn't start jumping him properly until last year as his frame just didn't look mature enough.
 
Red-1 said:
My Charlie-Horse didn't mature until he was 8. He was bought as a runt at 5. He was well under 16hh at 5, and only just shy of 17hh at 8. He was half ID though and I think they do mature more slowly, plus he was a real runt at 5 (ewe neck, hippy etc); my vet even warned not to work him on anything much until a year had passed.

He turned into a fabulous horse.
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A lady on my yard with an ID is saying hers also didn't stop growing until he was 8 or 9.... I'm choosing not to listen with my 17.2hh 5yo 😂
 
Generally only the bigger ones continue any significant maturation beyond 8, certainly the majority of the 16.2/16.3hh + event horses I’ve known have generally continued until 9/10 ish
 
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I imported my PRE as a 3yo at 15.1, expecting him to make around 16 hands, at 8 he is 16.3+!! And still going. He is not recognisable from the horse i bought.
 
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Yep, I see growth at later ages, one cob in particular growing over an inch aged 9. However....height at the withers is also affected by how a horse works, posture, movement patterns, as there is no clavicle (teaching you to suck eggs I know). I think it's worth really assessing a horse in detail if they're looking weedy into their ridden career.
 
YourValentine said:
Yes, mum had a horse who didn't look mature till 9. He had a very poor start (borderline neglect) and he didn't muscle up and look 'grown' till 9.

He didn't grow height etc wise after 6, but just never matured into his frame, if that makes sense, till he was 9. We owned him and fed him well from 14months.
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This was my Arab, I got him at 5, very thin (not neglect just not looked after) he took A LOT of feeding and gentle work but he didn't mature until about 9, he's now 11 and looks very 'sports horsey' well muscled and a great weight, but it's been a loonnng process, but I was never in a rush and I could see him heading in the right direction, Vitamin E was a huge help to him building muscle, when I eventually found out about it
 
sbloom said:
Yep, I see growth at later ages, one cob in particular growing over an inch aged 9. However....height at the withers is also affected by how a horse works, posture, movement patterns, as there is no clavicle (teaching you to suck eggs I know). I think it's worth really assessing a horse in detail if they're looking weedy into their ridden career.
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He’s been backed for less than a year, was still feral in February 2025. His muscle matches his life experience. It’s less height and muscle and more the little bits like neck length that don’t look like they have finished growing! Hoping they might even out over the summer.
 
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