String test/Cannon Test

[matt_m]

Has anyone else found these tests to not be accurate? I have a 3 yr old WB out of 2 big parents and not convinced she has finished growing, but according to both the cannon test (middle of knee to coronet band) and string test (elbow to ergot then up) she's about done!

Presumably conformation plays a part i.e. some horses have shorter legs than others which would give an inaccurate result?

Thanks in advance

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I have tried this on my 3yo Section B and it predicts he is going to be way overheight! I know people swear by it but am not convinced.

 

[matt_m]

Well I did the string test on my 16 year old ID X TB and he is at least 3" bigger than he should be!

 

[eggs]

Never bothered to do the strong test but my warmbloods have all definitely continued to grow well past 3 years old.

 

[Nudibranch]

I did it and it predicted my gelding to top out at 16.1-2. He's 17.3 now! I suppose shorter cannon bones might affect the "test".

 

[matt_m]

That's reassuring. She really doesn't look done and as i say going from her lineage she should get bigger and her full siblings have finished at a bigger height. Now that I've string tested my older boy and he has come out too tall (!) I am slightly reasured that it isn't accurate all of the time and hopefully she has more height to grow!

 

[Redders]

Never done the string test, but my 6yo WB is still growing! Someone told me once that 8 for a WB is when you see them at maturity, big I think that from 6.5yrs most of that growing is filling out so they look bigger, rather than gaining height

 

[Leo Walker]

The cannon bone string test can be a bit hit or miss, but the one where you do ergot to elbow and swivel it round has never been very far out on any horse I've done it to

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The elbow to ergot estimation was 16.2hh for my gelding. He's actually 15.1hh, with long legs.

ETA - the cannon one came out at 16hh.

 

[matt_m]

My older boy must have short legs - doesn't strike me as having overly short legs but as I said, elbow to ergot and then swivel up, his withers are higher by about 3" or so than where the string finishes!