My yearling is looking very scruffy...

[_jetset_]

Since moving onto FRESHMAN's yard, Troy has been out every single day all day

He has not been rugged at all because it has been lovely during the day, but he is looking soooo scruffy! But on top of that, he has changed shape quite a bit since then and has become quite out of proportion! He almost looks younger now than when he went to the Futurity in August

I look at people's photographs of their two year olds, and I cannot imagine him looking that mature in 6 months time when he is a 2 year old

Does anyone have any photographs of their horses as a yearling, and then as a 2 year old to give me some faith that he will mature a lot over the next couple of months

This was him at the Futurity (he does not look like this now and I will try to get some of him this evening

):

 

[Maesfen]

It sounds like all the extra turnout and playing naturally is doing the job properly by allowing him to develop at his own pace, Bec'.
Some yearlings are so ugly, even their doting mothers don't love them any more at that stage, you'd be surprised how many get sold at this 'ugly' stage because the owners can't see behind their gangliness, but they all come right in the end so please don't worry or try to force him (by over feeding, over rugging, over stabling, you name it, don't 'over do' him with anything) other than let him grow naturally.
Don't forget, with his Irish genes there and him going to be a biggish horse, he'll be a late maturer; the more natural a time you can give him the better.

 

[arwenplusone]

Also don't forget that the 2 yr olds being backed are not 'just' 2 - they are late on in their second year. So he has a year to go before you are comparing him with them!

 

[cruiseline]

I agree with MFH_09, yearlings are, or can be, the true ugly ducklings of the equine world. Your boy might be going through a growth spurt which is making him look out of proportion. Do not take the risk of over doing it now, just to make him look pleasing to the eye.

 

[_jetset_]

He is stabled at night and just has Healthy Hoof (just to bulk) and his TopSpec Balancer... nothing more

With regards to rugging, he has no rug on through the day at the moment, or in the stable in the evening, but when it starts raining again he will have a light weight turnout on in the day (he hates being wet) and when it gets colder a light weight stable rug on (if it still fits???)

That reminds me, I need to go and pick up my medium turn out from where he was before... Pat, please will you send me your address so I can send this rug back to you??? I keep losing the address when I delete some PMs.

 

[Foxfolly]

Its all part of growing up!!

Heres our 20month old we bought from the sales the day we got him!

Then a bit later, not sure how much but must have been a few weeks as we were able to hold him outside on a headcollar without him freaking out!!

Then at 4yo just being broken in now!

Then our other boy at I think about 1 1/2 or 2

And this year at 4, he's 17hh at least now!! He went through loads of FUGLY stages and really looked very odd at times with a big body and short legs, then eventually the legs caught up with the body... although he is still quite long in the back he's not in bad proportion!!

 

[Violet]

This is my 17 month old gelding, photo taken last week (September 22). He is still on grass 24 hours a day, but I started giving him a handfull of Suregrow + a very small amount of mix two weeks ago.
He measures about 15.2hh at front and 15.3hh behind. Sire 17.1hh and dam 16hh.

 

[volatis]

my yearlings are all out at grass 24/7
One of them, Valiant, looked mature and well enough to go showing at county level this summer. Lola also could have done (even if she is sporting an Iberian style mane at the moment)
Casi, who was a very high scoring foal at the Futurity last year, looked like a right mule. Weedy neck, bum high, head looked out of proportion. But she's catching up with the others now and I know when she gets out of the yearling fuglies she will be back to being the gorgeous elegant and glamourpuss that she really is

 

[cruiseline]

Here you go _Jetset_ a year by year photo assessment for you.

Foal picture .........

As a yearling........

As a 2 year old .....

A slightly more mature 3 year old .......

As you can see he still has a lot of growing to do, and I really don't think he will be mature until at least 5 years old. But he should be a really nice horse then

 

[BallyshanHorses]

They all go through horrible stages.
this is my tadmus filly over the past year.

-------------------------------------
www.freewebs.com/ballyshanhorses/

 

[htobago]

Goodness Foxfolly that 20-month-old doesn't look like the same horse as a 4yo! Amazing!

Here's Tobago as a yearling - OK he was always pretty but he looked almost too 'feminine' for a colt:

And here as a 2yo:

And as a 3yo:

 

[_jetset_]

I think your boy is just stunning in all those pictures

As a yearling he looks so much more mature than my boy

 

[seabiscuit]

Why are you still bringing him in at night?You were previously keeping him in 24/7 and now only turnout in the daytime, so how can you expect him to look good at the moment? A youngster needs 24/7 turnout., as much as possible. Turnout will help him grow and develope properly, and develope good musculature, strength and balance. Otherwise of course he is not going to look like a proper yearling. No way is he going to develope properly at this rate.

 

[_jetset_]

That is the rules of the livery yard... they have allowed the yearlings out for a few nights but it is getting very cold at night up here and his light weight turnout has not come back from the cleaners yet. He will not stay out at night without some sort of rug when it is cold or damp, he finds his way out of the field.

He lived out from Feb til June, then started coming in at night. It was only mid August that the old livery yard shut the turnout through the amount of rain we had and he was getting out for 2-3 hours a day then. He has been at the new yard for two weeks and out from 8am til 4.30pm (although can be as late as 7pm).

There is only one place which offers 24/7 hours turnout up here and it is not suitable for him... I cannot go into it on an open forum, but let's just say I would rather sell him than send him there. The studs all close their turnout through the winter up here, just allowing them out for a few hours in the daytime (that is what I did with him last year) so my new yard is the best option offering turnout all day for him and his new best friend, a yearling colt owned by the owners.

 

[sallyf]

Jetset yours will look differant as he will mature at a totally differant rate to a arab colt like Htobago particularly one that was professionally produced.
So dont panic he will get there although i agree with Ouija board i would have him out 24/7 for as long as you can.
Ours are certainly still out all the time at the moment and will be for as long as they arnt damaging the fields.
This is a picture of one of our yearlings TB but sport horse not race horse and from a slow maturing line.
She has a light rug on at night or if it is raining.
Excuse the fat 2 yr old with her.

 

[_jetset_]

She is beautiful Sallyf

Much more how Troy is looking too with regards to things being a little out of proportion (I do hope this does not offend you, as it genuinely was not meant to

).

Troy is not great living out... he drops a lot of condition (this is from past experience) and he gets up to no good if he feels a bit cold or it is raining

He tends to find new ways to get out of the field, although in the summer (if we have had one up here in the north west, I have never known weather like it!!!) when it is warm nights he is quite content staying out through the night.

If I can get his turnout back, he may get a few weeks out if the yard owner's yearling is staying out at night (he is in this evening) but I think the weather is about to change so they will be in at night and out in the day if it does. The yard I am now on is one of few that has all day turnout at the moment. Many yards in the area have either completely closed the turnout or they are on limited hours.

 

[almorton]

ouija board - if you lived anywhere near you would understand 24/7 turnout here is like gold dust and also in a lot of places in lancs we are on clay, below sea level and have very high rain fall. which means severe mud fever and rainscald left out 24/7. even with plenty of acreage.

jetset, youve done well to find somewhere with all day turnout all year!

and btw, my babies look like 'proper' babies, even though they are in at night! some are penned, some stabled. they still have enough exercise out for the day.
although i agree with getting them out as much as poss and keeping them out, sometimes you just have to be realistic about life!

 

[_jetset_]

greygates... I am very lucky indeed!

I have sacrificed quite a bit to be on this yard, and it now takes me 25 minutes to get there from home and 40 minutes from work. So the extra travel is quite difficult, but just seeing how happy my trio are makes it all worth while

 

[sallyf]

definately no offence taken i think my filly looks like a bag of spare parts.
I have two others but have no pictures of them i will try and take some.
one just looks like a proper little horse but the other who is in excess of 15.2 at 17 months just looks like a giraffe.

 

[_jetset_]

Troy is around the 15.2hh mark at the moment too... he seems to have shot up again recently which is perhaps why he is looking a little mismatched

This is my first home bred, so I am very much learning as I go along

 

[Law]

Becki when I saw your pics of him as a yearling I nearly died! He looks amazing

My little monkey was going through a gangly gawky period at around 13/14 months and looked out of proportion and naturally, as a warmblood, looked a little immature! He's had four months solid out at grass 24/7 in all weather with a light rug when very wet and cold, medium at the very very worst of weather and currently wearing nothing day and night and is FAT! (No feed at the moment)
This was him at early June

July when he was resting in a bare field and on a little haylege

Mid August and still looking a bit 'different'

And yesterday.. maybe i am seeing things but i really see a difference and he's grown a heck of a lot just on grass (tiny amount of suregrow as well but not for the last couple of weeks as he has gotten really fat

) (as he is wintering out I'm not going to restrict his grass at the moment-just reduced his feed accordingly for now)

I know he looks immature compared to most but he's changing so much every month and is going to grow into himself when he is ready

 

[S_N]

Law - he looks fabulous atm!!! Really credit to you hun!!

JS - Youngsters go through phases hun! For example, H (5/8ths TB, 3/8ths WB), born 23.03.06

H - May 2nd 2007 - looking woolly and immature

May 16th 2007

June 1st 2007

June 15th 2007 East of England - he trod on a stone and split his heel just prior to going in the ring and had to be withdrawn.

June 27th 2007 - sound and winning at County Level

August 26th 2007 - mules 'r' us

December 15th 2007 - woolly mule

30th March 2008

Last weekend

 

[FRESHMAN]

Sorry Ouija Board but I really do disagree with your comments. If you knew the geography perhaps you wouldnt make the statement. Land in Lancashire is not overly good regarding rain. JS has already said Troy doesnt like cold or wet weather & presently has not got a rug. (JS's choice) More so how can you catergorically state that youngsters will not develop correctly without 24/7 turn out? I know lots of top horses that had minimal turn out & certainly many that never had any at night, especially as the winter draws close & grass is not as good. I am not having a go at you but find it very difficult to understand how some people can think that only there way is right for every single situation. I say Horses for Courses.

 

[seabiscuit]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry Ouija Board but I really do disagree with your comments. If you knew the geography perhaps you wouldnt make the statement. Land in Lancashire is not overly good regarding rain. JS has already said Troy doesnt like cold or wet weather & presently has not got a rug. (JS's choice) More so how can you catergorically state that youngsters will not develop correctly without 24/7 turn out? I know lots of top horses that had minimal turn out & certainly many that never had any at night, especially as the winter draws close & grass is not as good. I am not having a go at you but find it very difficult to understand how some people can think that only there way is right for every single situation. I say Horses for Courses.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair enough re; the above but a balance does have to be struck..ie. I should hope that you dont mean that these yearlings are being kept indoors pratically 24/7 for their whole youth!... if they have been, and turn out to be top horses then they must be v.robust and lucky horses!
The only reason why I wrote my post was because I was very concerned about this yearling because she said that she kept him in 24/7 with no turnout all through the SUMMER and did not seem to appreciate/understand the need for having youngsters turned out much, if at all!

 

[Foxfolly]

Hi JetSet, have you got the book Foal to Full Grown?
If so there are a series of pictures in the back of a hanovarian foal throughout the stages of developement upto 3yo. Its interesting to see!

 

[AmyMay]

Don't despair. They all go through this 'uggly duckling' stage. Bits of their bodies seem to grow at totally different rates - and no two do it the same...... You can see changes in them weekly can't you??

Lovely to hear that he's able now to get as much turnout as you want, and can't wait to see new photo's of him.

 

[_jetset_]

Ouija_board, I honestly can say that you do not need to be 'very concerned' about my yearling, and your suggestion of that really does offend me! Do you honestly think I would put him in any sort of discomfort or danger when I have bred him for me to compete when he is older? I have done everything right by him, no matter what cost it has been to me (not just economical, but other ways too)!

I have done everything in my power to make sure he has turnout through the winter, which included moving to a yard which is 25 minutes drive from home, 40 minutes drive from work.

And as for saying he was in 24/7 ALL SUMMER, what utter rubbish!!!

Yes, he was in 22 hours a day for three weeks in the summer (mid august until I moved to FRESHMAN's yard) because the yard I was on shut the turnout due to the fact their fields were under several inches of water. The majority of yards in the area did exactly the same thing, which is why I started looking for an alternative option. But, even when the fields were shut, I made damn sure that he got a few hours in the field every day as the yard owners recognised his need to have some turnout.

For me, it is not so easy to find a new yard which ticks all of the boxes, especially in lancashire. I have Troy, plus two horses in full competitive work, therefore need somewhere suitable for all three. Plus, one of my mares gets colic when she is moved, so I did not want to make the wrong decision and end up moving her more than necessary (Troy's dam). I don't think three weeks of limited turnout would have done him any harm when he lived out from Feb to June, then started coming in at night from June until August, but was out on good pasture from 7am until 8pm every day from June to August.

 

[_jetset_]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi JetSet, have you got the book Foal to Full Grown?
If so there are a series of pictures in the back of a hanovarian foal throughout the stages of developement upto 3yo. Its interesting to see!

[/ QUOTE ]

Aghh, my bible!!! I do indeed, I will go and dig it out

I had completely forgotten about that

 

[_jetset_]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't despair. They all go through this 'uggly duckling' stage. Bits of their bodies seem to grow at totally different rates - and no two do it the same...... You can see changes in them weekly can't you??

Lovely to hear that he's able now to get as much turnout as you want, and can't wait to see new photo's of him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks AmyMay... I definitely made the right decision moving them all over. The yard is just fab and the fact that troy is out with his bestest friend playing is just such a lovely feeling after the stress of trying to find a solution!

 

[AmyMay]

Lovely news Bec. x