Predicted Adult Height for Irish Cobs ? Help!

[LGRHorses]

Hi all!

I'm new to H&H, so hopefully this is in the right place! New to H&H, definitely not new to horses, but kind of new to cobs!
I have always had & rained TBs, OTTBs and the odd Sport Horse but I've recently purchased 2 lovely young Irish cobs and I'm desperate to find out what sort of height you guys think they might make!

Meet Prim(left) and Proper (right)!

https://imgur.com/a/oxYOzPx

Prim is definitely a chunkier type. She was an April foal in 2019, so is currently 2 years and 8 months, she is standing at 145cm/14.1-2hh-ish and is well built and mature looking. Both parents are around the 15.1 mark and grandsire was 16hh.
Proper is a slimmer type. She was a late foal, born in July of 2019, so is currently 2 years and 5 months, she is standing at 140cm/13.3hh but seems very young and not so mature in mind or body yet. Her sire was 16hh+ and the breeder predicted she would end up taller than Prim.
Both came from a farm where they had decent grass but were working from 2 years old pulling farm machinery, harrowing etc and didn't get any hay hard feed except for the odd bit of coarse mix to catch them!

Could you guys make guestimate as to what heights they may end up? and also, at what sort of age will they reach these heights? Doing my best at the moment to allow them to grow, they are on grass & hay in the fields are are being fed a light youngstock balancer also.
I may aswell add that I am absolutely desperate for them to both reach at least 15hh as they wont be suitable here if they are much smaller than that and I have become very fond of them so really dont want to have to part company!

Thanks SO much!
Lisa

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Mine went from 14.2 to 15.2. Bought when he was five, last measured at about 8-they're slow growers. It's impossible to predict heights without knowing the height of both parents, so you can't really do an accurate guess.

 

[Equi]

Could be pot luck. My friends cob/friesian was 15hh at 5 and had ended up 17hh much to her dismay lol

 

[LGRHorses]

Mine went from 14.2 to 15.2. Bought when he was five, last measured at about 8-they're slow growers. It's impossible to predict heights without knowing the height of both parents, so you can't really do an accurate guess.

Thanks! If your boy was 14.2 at 5 and ended up at 15.2, then these two being 14.2 and 14 now at rising 3, shooooould really end up around that or bigger... right? lol Prim's sire was 15.1 and her dam was 15 I believe, so I would be quite happy it she made it to the magic 15! Proper's dam was the same, 15h and her sire was 16+, so she will hopefully end up somewhere there or above too!

Could be pot luck. My friends cob/friesian was 15hh at 5 and had ended up 17hh much to her dismay lol

Oh no... I dont think I'd cope with that! Haha

 

[Annagain]

The general rule is that if you want them to grow they won't but if you want them to stop, they'll grow like a weed. I bought a 16.1 6 yr old ID type (breeding unrecorded) 16 months ago. I didn't mind an extra inch or even 2 but he's now 17hh and still a bit bum high.

If they were working at 2 (poor things) and not being fed, this may have affected their growth but with (I assume) being turned away for at least a year now and with decent forage and proper care they may catch up again. I know of a lot of Irish horses who have grown a lot once they've arrived in homes over here with good quality grass / forage.

Have you done the string test?

 

[LGRHorses]

The general rule is that if you want them to grow they won't but if you want them to stop, they'll grow like a weed. I bought a 16.1 6 yr old ID type (breeding unrecorded) 16 months ago. I didn't mind an extra inch or even 2 but he's now 17hh and still a bit bum high.

If they were working at 2 (poor things) and not being fed, this may have affected their growth but with (I assume) being turned away for at least a year now and with decent forage and proper care they may catch up again. I know of a lot of Irish horses who have grown a lot once they've arrived in homes over here with good quality grass / forage.

Have you done the string test?

I think I'll have to change my mind and pretend I want them to stop growing and be children's ponies and then they'll probably turn into monsters! lol
That's what I was thinking... I'm hoping some good feed, forage and TLC will allow them to catch up and grow well!

I did do the string test (possibly not the most accurately as they are nearly as wide as they are tall in some places so there was some going around rather than up with the string!) and it gave me about another hand or so on each. So if thats accurate, we should be on the right track! Just hoping they're not too slow growing and it doesn't take them another 6 years for those 4 inches lol

 

[L&M]

My lad was 14.1 hh bought as a just backed 4 yr old. Took until 7 yrs to mature and now measures 15hh.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I think they will be at least 15 hands.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

String test:

 

[I'm Dun]

its roughly a hand per year till 3, then its pot luck. Some grow, some dont. Just because someones grew a hand doesnt mean yours will. Its not how it works. And being in light harness work and not being fed at 2 wont have stunted their growth unfortunately.

 

[Coblover63]

I had a traditional cob gelding who was 13.3 at two and topped out at 14.1. I also bought a traditional cob mare who was just 6 and 14.3. By the time she was 8 she was 15 hands and half an inch.

You can generalise and guesstimate, but they're all different.