Predicting final height. Warm blood x PRE

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MDB

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I am looking at a warm blood x PRE filly. Nearly 2.5 years old. I need something that will grow to 16hh minimum and be a weight carrier (13 stone plus tack).

Everything I have seen so far seems to have spindly little legs. Except this one. She has really solid, chunky legs, loads of bone, although she is presently quite scrawny. Skinny little neck, sticky out hip bones. I wish I could upload pics. Ok here is a link to the advert.. in Spanish, sorry, but pics present.

https://www.milanuncios.com/venta-de-potros/potra-enorme-hija-de-grial-de-ibio-1-78-227833051.htm

Father is 17.2 - 17.3 hh and a quick Google has come up with this....
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/grial+de+ibio

Mother is an unknown Andalusian, reported 16.2hh.

I think the filly is around 15 hh at present. But I am going back to do the string test and take another look.

Anybody with experience prepared to hedge their bets on whether she will make the height??
 
She looks as if she is bigger than 15 hands already and by the time she finishes growing I would be more suprised if she did not reach 16 hands than if she did. See what you think when you see her and try to get not only a string test but a fairly accurate measurement of where she is now. With that sire line you could end up closer to 16.3 than 16 hands :D
 
I would be wary about the Andalusian side as I doubt if it's from Spain and the mare is unknown that is therefore an actual PRE and will instead be of 'Spanish type'. Also 16.2 is pretty big for an Andalusian. Also don't know if it's the angle but her back looks very short so you may have some bad issues with saddle fitting.
 
crabbymare said:
She looks as if she is bigger than 15 hands already and by the time she finishes growing I would be more suprised if she did not reach 16 hands than if she did. See what you think when you see her and try to get not only a string test but a fairly accurate measurement of where she is now. With that sire line you could end up closer to 16.3 than 16 hands :D
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I will try to get the exact measurement tomorrow. She is roughly the same as my PRE mare who is 15.2, I would say, but much chunkier. It is so tricky.
 
The mother is in Spain. PRE's are the most common horse breed here. Although you are correct in saying that 16.2 is tall for a PRE, but not unheard of. I went to a breeder just up the road from our village, and he had some gorgeous fillies that were well over 15hh at one year, broodmares were all well over 16hh to 16.3 i would say. Turns out they export to the US a lot and the yearlings were all 10k.
 
I have one with a slightly smaller warmblood side, but again a tallish PRE (shade over 16hh). He has a massive frame, is very solid and would happily carry that weight. This is a fairly recent picture:

Gi2n6WD.jpg


And this is an awful picture but shows the size of his shoulder a bit better:

0qq308W.jpg


He is about 16.2hh with 9.5" of bone (16hh PRE X 16.2hh warmblood), but there's so much variation in warmblood types and builds that it's a bit hard to compare. That filly looks chunky enough though
 
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MDB said:
The mother is in Spain. PRE's are the most common horse breed here. Although you are correct in saying that 16.2 is tall for a PRE, but not unheard of. I went to a breeder just up the road from our village, and he had some gorgeous fillies that were well over 15hh at one year, broodmares were all well over 16hh to 16.3 i would say. Turns out they export to the US a lot and the yearlings were all 10k.
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Is she ANCEE registered?
 
shortstuff99 said:
Also don't know if it's the angle but her back looks very short so you may have some bad issues with saddle fitting.
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I wouldn't worry about this. She is 2 1/2 years old, so not fully grown, plus the final spinal growth plates to fuse do so at 5 1/2 years at the earliest. My gelding went up two rug sizes after he turned four as he grew longer and wider (and a tad taller too). The photos are not all recent. She looks like a yearling in the final photo but the one with the girl in looks more recent.
 
DabDab said:
I have one with a slightly smaller warmblood side, but again a tallish PRE (shade over 16hh). He has a massive frame, is very solid and would happily carry that weight. This is a fairly recent picture:

Gi2n6WD.jpg


And this is an awful picture but shows the size of his shoulder a bit better:

0qq308W.jpg


He is about 16.2hh with 9.5" of bone (16hh PRE X 16.2hh warmblood), but there's so much variation in warmblood types and builds that it's a bit hard to compare. That filly looks chunky enough though
Click to expand...

He is beautiful, DabDab. Gorgeous boy. I will measure the cannon bone too, and do my own two mares for comparison.
 
Faracat said:
I wouldn't worry about this. She is 2 1/2 years old, so not fully grown, plus the final spinal growth plates to fuse do so at 5 1/2 years at the earliest. My gelding went up two rug sizes after he turned four as he grew longer and wider (and a tad taller too). The photos are not all recent. She looks like a yearling in the final photo but the one with the girl in looks more recent.
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This is good to know. It is something I will take a look at today, and see if i can get some images up too.
 
I don't think you have to worry on the size front, OP. I would predict at least 17 hands. You can tell by the length of her canon bones she has loads of growing to do. Agree with faracat, the back length is no issue at this age as she will lengthen.
 
We bought a 2yo warmblood a couple of years ago and were worried that he would be on the small side as only a tad over 15 hands, but he has grown and grown and now at 4yo he is about 16.1 (might even be 16.2, haven't measured him recent). So I think yours should be fine!
 
MDB said:
This is good to know. It is something I will take a look at today, and see if i can get some images up too.
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Look at the dam too, if they have her. :)

Both of mine that I got as youngsters have exactly the same temperaments as they did when young, so make sure that you like the filly. I would also suggest that making sure that she is willing to work with you is essential. Even just a simple test of leading her in her headcollar and asking for halts, walk ons and turning left and right should help you get a feel for this. Is she listening to you? Do you enjoy her company?
 
I have bought her!!!

The mother was sold and is now in Barcelona.

We measured her at 15hands. However she has 9 inches on bone on cannon circumference, exactly the same as my Lusitano 15 year old at 16.1 hands. The filly's knees are enormous though so we measured those out of interesr and she came up over an inch larger in circumference than the Lusitano.

Cannon bone length measurment said she would be 16.2 hands.
Elbow to ergot string length measured 5 times by myself and my friend came out at 17 hands.

Now I just need to figure out how to do pics on here! Now that photobucket has kicked the bucket!
 
Faracat said:
Look at the dam too, if they have her. :)

Both of mine that I got as youngsters have exactly the same temperaments as they did when young, so make sure that you like the filly. I would also suggest that making sure that she is willing to work with you is essential. Even just a simple test of leading her in her headcollar and asking for halts, walk ons and turning left and right should help you get a feel for this. Is she listening to you? Do you enjoy her company?
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I have lead her around quite a bit, on both days I went to see her, all around the field and away from her buddies, lifted her feet up, thrown the lead rope over her back and around her front and back legs like I would do for desensitisation work. All good. She is no trouble to catch and halter. She has clearly had a lot of human contact but she hasnt been taught about personal space or boundaries. No problem.. I can crack on with that. omg! i dont believe it!!
 
MDB said:
Thank you all. Will get some pics up soon. X
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OMG MDB, so exciting, can't wait to see some current pics :)
Mr P is 16.3 approx and despite his height and somewhat baroque shape he is unbelievably agile and the power and paces are huge! you will have a hell of a horse when she is mature , so happy for you, i will really enjoy following your progress with her :) xxx
 
Shady said:
OMG MDB, so exciting, can't wait to see some current pics :)
Mr P is 16.3 approx and despite his height and somewhat baroque shape he is unbelievably agile and the power and paces are huge! you will have a hell of a horse when she is mature , so happy for you, i will really enjoy following your progress with her :) xxx
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Thank you Shady! I am very excited and still in shock. She arrives Monday, so I have a day to think about how to introduce her to my two. Yikes, lol.
 
she looks a real grower.

we breed cross pre`s very often people comment their backs are too short! but when finished i always ride in an 18 inch saddle so no way are they too short when finished growing and carry the saddle very well and are easy to fit.
 
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