Young horses not making or overshooting the height you want...

Our homebred tb x sf had a 16.3 sire and a 16h dam.... He is 18h, extremely inconvenient, as we he doesn't fit in our stables, had to get a new lorry, and he is too much for me!
I think it was a throwback in his mums (unknown) breeding!
 
mine is 14.2 now....

dad is 14.3 - mum 16hh - her butt is 15hh so she will make that and finish at a nice height to be honest

she should have made 15.2 judging by other siblings but she is a nice size :]
 
Don't panic about the string test though, it doesn't always work with leggy Arabs as the proportions are different and they aren't as deep through the shoulder even when adult. I reckon we're both on for about 15.3/16h.
 
Mine is rising 3 and stands 13.2 at the withers. His parents are 14.2 and I would love him to make 14.2 but even if he stays as 13.2 I would still keep him. I would like him to be at least 14hh though so I can jump him.
 
From what I was told and reading past adverts/stud details etc., my little guy's dam was around 15.1/15.2 and the stallion was about 15.2/15.3. When I took him on at rising 2, I had hoped even if he made a good, stocky (he's Haflinger x) 15hh, all would be well. He's barely scraping 14/14.1 at 3yo so still praying for a growth spurt! ;)
 
Mum 13.3hh dad 15hh maybe 15.1hh ..... Breeze just turned 4 nearly 15.3hh and bum hgh again :/ got her as 15 months old little scrap with a receipt that says to make 14.2hh sorry if she doesn't make size (I'm 5 foot nothing so didnt care if she made 12.3 HH ) now have a giant of a horse to me lol o well
 
Size doesn't seem to be that predictable, if just going from the height of the parents. Interesting.

EY - I hope you're right. :)

ETA, he's not going to be sent packing if he does grow into a giant arab. For some reason I'm quite attached to him and his funny ways. ;)
 
I was going to buy a Welsh colt who I had known since birth. Sire was 14.2/3, dam 15.3 but he only just made the height for a d. Must have been runts on the Fathers side as mum was maesmynach bred.
 
whoopit, its a bit soul destroying isn't it, i have put loads of effort in with her thinking she would be big enough, but she is a munchkin, i would be thrilled if she was 15.2hh lol, dont think she is much over 14.2hh and three at the end of september. doh
 
Faracat said:
Size doesn't seem to be that predictable, if just going from the height of the parents. Interesting.
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I think there's more to it than just using the height of each parent. I think when you are breeding like to like it's very reliable that you will have the offspring grow to X height. I think a lot of the problem with sizing horses is when you breed two horses who are not greatly compatible; so one might be a chunky short native type and the other a tall leggy TB for example. In that situation I think there is so much 'growing' is being done in other aspects, not just upwards, and it depends on what parental genes are doing what in the youngster.

My teeny born 3 year old that I mentioned was bred like to like. His dam was a little 15.2hh mare but was only 5 years old when she foaled and she comes from a long line of typically slow growing horses, so had she not died, she could have made close to 16hh in the end, thereby genetically she'd be a 16hh mare. The sire is 17hh. The foal was so small at birth and as I say even though I string tested him numerous times and it always came out that he would make 16.2hh, I just had difficulty believing that. But, it appears that he probably will make 16.2hh so I was wrong and the good old string test was right.
 
I get what you are saying SF and it makes sense.

I looked up El Shaklans height (thanks for pointing him out EY) and he was 15.3hh, so it is possible that my boy's height could come from him. So I guess that even when you breed like with like, genes from further back in the pedigree can come out.

A video of the tall El Shaklan for anyone who's interested - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F62_pWcCypk&feature=related
 
Minstrel_Ted said:
I don't know if it is an old wives tale buy my family always used to stay if you geld them they get taller then if you leave them on... Though I don't know if this is true?!
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This is true, as they have higher levels of testosterone if left entire, and testosterone closes the growth plates (basically - it's complicated). This stops the bones from lengthening, and thus the horse from growing taller.
 
Mine was from a 14.2 mare and out of a 15.1hh stallion. Had hoped she would make 15.1 like her dad as this would be an ideal height for me, but she stopped at 14.3. She was her 'grown' height at 3 years old (she is now 9). I wish she was an inch or two bigger but I feel ok on her as she is massively broad across her chest and shoulders and takes the leg up well.

I also know someone who bred from a 14.1hh mare and 15 welsh D stallion. Mares parentage was unknown and my friend ended up with a 16 hh filly! Obviously some bigger genes there somewhere!
 
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dollymix said:
Mine was from a 14.2 mare and out of a 15.1hh stallion.
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I always chuckle when people say this as I imagine the poor confused stallion giving birth to a foal! ;) :p

I's BY a stallion and OUT of a mare. :D

The filly that grew to 16hh was definitely a surprise from those parents! :)
 
hahaha I laugh at this too! I blame it on my mind turning to mush after a good night out last night and an early start this morning :D

I did mean BY a 15.1 stallion...my brain just didn't compute logic this AM! That's what you get for typing when half asleep/hung over hahah

Poor Jake - better not tell him he now expected to give birth to foals too!! :)
 
I am pretty sure one of the section a's I bought as a weanling is going to go overheight 😕 (he is 2 yrs old now). Will have to try and find him a pc home as he is going to be too much pony for lead rein. Shame as he is a smart chap 😐
 
My mare was by a 14.3 stallion (Brynithon the Exterminator) and out of which i believe is about 15hh mare (Rectory Tegan) She was advertised as 15hh but i do believe Fern is actually 15.2hh - must get a stick up to her. :)
 
This is a paternal half brother of my boy. 5 years old and 14.3hh... :(

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/111139390/143hh-arabian-gelding-sr-montana.html

When I read 'very good to catch' I couldn't help but wonder if he's like mine, really good to catch but really hard to get rid of when you try to turn him back out! LOL. :D

Thanks for the photo EY, that does give me hope. If he does have long legs like that when mature, you can see how it would skew the string test into giving a too high estimate.
 
I am having to sell two because neither have made the height I wanted 14.2-15 hands. One I bred out of an over height connie by a heavyweight 15.2 traditional is not going to it either. It gutting because all are lovely ponies but we are to big to ride them. Have decided that I will buy anything under 15hands as a store and the next stallion has to be a least 16hands
 
There are a glut of 14.2's ATM, so I am not having much luck. My daughter said everyone keeps the first one they breed so I know I will be stuck with him for life, plus my perfect first foal got a sarcoid at two and starts Liverpool cream treatment next week. Such is life.
 
I need the 'keep growing dance'! Holly's 10 months and is about 14.2 right now, hopefully she doesn't stop at 15hh. Mum's 14.2 but she should have been 15+. I need a horse about 15.2+ because of my height and weight and because I love big horses so much XD
 
RE the liverpool cream, are you having to get the vet to apply it, or are you allowed to do it yourself? I was chatting to someone at the vets the other day and they said that they had to have the vet out for each application.

I hope it sorts the sarcoid anyway.
 
This is Felix yesterday doing his first ever bit of baby lunging. You can see his height is all leg:
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