help height crisis!

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shellandmav

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wanting some advice.
A few people recently have been mentioning that my two year old is not going to grow big enough for me. i have had him from 5 months and knew him from 2 months old, he is now 2 and a bit years old and it would break my heart not to be able to ride him as i love him to bits, but i could'nt sell him.

He was bred from a 15.2 arab x cob mare (more on the arab side, but not too fine) and an appaloosa x cob stallion (more on the appaloosa side, but again not too fine). He is currently standing at just about 14.2, is a little bum high and his legs are quite fine. He was sold to me as to make 15.2, but unsure he will grow this big. due to the fact he was hand reared, as unfortunelty his dam had colic and dried up, and was also the mare's first foal (i have heard some people say the first foals are always smaller). I am 5ft 3 and weigh about 12stone ish (most of which is on my legs!).

so do you think I will be to big for him?

here is some pictures of my lovely boy
set

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Not if he is on the stocky side.

You can do the string test.
Piece of string from the point of his elbow to the point of the fetlock (where the ergot grows) Reverse the string so it goes from the point of the elbow to his withers. The difference in the length of string is how much he still has to grow. That will give you a good idea of his finished height.

It is fallacy to say first foals are always or often smaller.
He will continue to grow for at least another two years. One Welsh X TB I grew was 14.2 at three, about 15 hands as he turned four and then grew on until he was six where he finished off at a genuine 16.2 - unusual but it happens!
 
Sorry, I can't see the photos but he has about three more years of growing to do so don't panic yet.

Have you string tested him? Take some baler twine and measure the distance between the botton of his fetlock and his elbow on one of his front legs. Then move the string up (keep the same length) so that it goes from his elbow to above his withers. That is approximately the height that he should make.

ETA. You beat me to it FH! ;)
 
thanks I will try that with him tomorrow, never heard of that one before. Im just in a panic, because of people saying i will be to big for him.

I have re done a pic, but it has came up quite small. so i havent put another one on. they are larger in the album on my page if you want to have a better look.
 
He is nice, I do like bay roan. Does he have any appy markings? :)

There have been quite a few 'height' threads on here where people have bought three year olds that were for sale because they weren't going to make the height expected. Once in the new owners home, they had a growth spurt and made the height after all.

People forget that horses skeletons keep growing until they are approx 5 1/2 years old or a bit older if the horse is very big.
 
wowee can't believe your welshy x tb grew to 16.2hh.

someone i know bought a 3 year old at 14.3 which is now 15.1-15.2hh, so i wasn't worry much because of that.
a judge last year told me he wouldn't grow past pony height! :confused: he was a 13.3hh yearling at this time, it was also the judge who told me about the first foal thing. since then a few people have mentioned about the fact he will be to small for me.
 
thank you :)
He does have a few whiter splodges, a bay stripe on his left shoulder (i will try and get picture to show you lol) and an occasional dorsal stripe. I say occasional, because he quite often changes colour. His roan markings extend on to his face and there are a few areas of under coat colouring instead of roan so he is passported as a varnished roan.
he was bay and the grey started coming through slowly and we though he was going to be a blanket spot, but it eventually spreaded all over and sometimes you can't see the bay under coat at all his body looks snow white.
 
shellandmav said:
thank you :)
He does have a few whiter splodges, a bay stripe on his left shoulder (i will try and get picture to show you lol) and an occasional dorsal stripe. I say occasional, because he quite often changes colour. His roan markings extend on to his face and there are a few areas of under coat colouring instead of roan so he is passported as a varnished roan.
he was bay and the grey started coming through slowly and we though he was going to be a blanket spot, but it eventually spreaded all over and sometimes you can't see the bay under coat at all his body looks snow white.
Click to expand...

He is very handsome. Don't worry about the height thing, you have plenty of time to see what he will become and at 5'3" you should be fine.

His colour is gorgeous. I have always been a sucker for a roan although have never owned one. i used to know a pony years ago called Robbie Roan, he was about 14.2hh. He was on livery at a riding school and his owner used to only come up about once a month. Quite often she would come back from the field without him as she couldn't find him. Trouble was he kept changing colour almost weekly and she just didn't see him often enough. One week he would be pure dark bay and by the time she visited again he would be white but with a bay head. It was lucky for me that she rarely came to ride as i was allowed to ride him sometimes, he was lovely.

Anyway, I digress. Your boy is lovely and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
 
hi i think hes gergous btw :) and your not too big trust me, i know someone that is 5ft 10 and legs all the way and she rides a 15.1 cob x tb! i recently bought a 5yo tb mare 4 months ago and she has just turned 6 in the past few weeks, i bought her at just under 16.1 hh and now she is reaching 16.3!! and shes 6 and stikll goit a bit of grow in her. dont worry, you have another good 3 years to see him grow a little more.:)
 
I should think he'll easily get to 15.2hh, and he's chunky enough to carry more than your weight. The last horse I had which was 14.2 at 2 years old is now pushing 16h at 5yrs. The string test is a good guide, I've been doing it for over 30 years of breeding and it's surprisingly accurate. Stop worrying!
 
thank you :). i love how he changes colour all the time, it's quite exciting. don't think, even if i only saw him once a month, that i'd be coming out the field with out him lol. he's always the first to give a little winnie and trot over. he's very playful and likes to get up to mischief. he follows you around the field, where ever you go he will follow and if when you stop you don't give him a rub he will give you a cheeky little nip on the bum. not enough to do any damage, but enough for him to tell you oi im here.

will definetly do the string test on him tomorrow and post the results
 
Don't worry too much about the height, its the build that will make a difference to whether he is the right size for you. Weightwise I will ride a 12h exmoor or cob (would just look an idiot with my legs to its knees) but wouldn't get on a 13.2 sec b even for a sit. And I wouldn't call yours fine now, & he will fill out over the next few years too.
 
Height wise I am 5'3 and I feel quite comfortable on a 14.2 so even if yours does not grow at all I would not worry. Highly likely to grow though!
 
I did the strong theory with him and according to that he is going to grow to just over 15.3hh. Thanks for all the comments and the idea
 
I am sure it will be ok so don't worry.
I bought years ago a very well bred three year old from a dressage breeder for sale because he was too small at 15.1 .
I sold him at six as a huge 17.1 because he was too big for me !! It the most late growing I have ever seen he literally started to grow as soon as I got him home you can't win with horses sometimes.
 
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