Conformation of weanling

[LaurieB]

I see things about her that I like and others that I might wish were different. However, in my experience a weanling’s first winter is about the worst time to make a judgement about what you’re seeing–especially if you don’t know how long ago she was weaned and/or what her parents looked like–and cannot take those things into consideration.

I snapped this picture yesterday of one of our (TB) weanlings. It makes me laugh. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to make decisions about her conformation based on what they see here.

Below is that filly’s 3yo half-sister. Since this is the 3rd generation of our breeding, I feel I can predict with a fair amount of confidence that 2 years from now, I will be very pleased with what the current weanling will look like–as I anticipate there will be a lot of growing, changes and development in the meantime. And the same will be true for OP’s filly.

[colorfan]

LaurieB I sure like your youngster! She looks like she has a lot more bone which I like. Very nice.

[JB]

@Equibrit

You cannot change bones, and her angles are not good.

Bones change length as they grow.

Angles changes based on the stage of growth. Butt-high will always straighten stifles and hocks, as well as shoulders.

What do you see that is “not good”?

The basics of Functional Conformation, the Big 3 I listed, don’t change, no matter how old the horse, or their growth stage. They may appear different if they are uncomfortable, and that’s a learned skill to see if the horse is happy in his body, or not. I see a normal weanling here, so the Big 3 are what they are, and are quite lovely.

@colorfan

LaurieB I sure like your youngster! She looks like she has a lot more bone which I like.

“more” in what context? I see typical bone for a TB, who are not generally known for visually large bone. But they have dense bone - they had to evolve with dense bone given their traditional breeding use - run fast.

[Scribbler]

OP I’d add that a grade horse foal is less predictable than a registered breed, and even if you know the parents you likely don’t know the ancestors to know all the potential genetic options for the foal.

I have to say the fugliest weanlings I get to see on FB are wildies of the upcountry Indian reserves being sold by a middleman private “rescue” for $250 each. However when folks post success stories, the adult horses are nice solid functional usable horses in the stock horse category. I think you will get something like that.

[beowulf]

Thank you. I came here to say the same thing. In my experience the worst time to take a flattering picture of a horse is in the winter while they are a weanling. There is a reason people say three weeks, 3 months, 3 years.

OP, those photos do no favors. Come back in the spring when the winter fluff is gone and she is curried out.

[Dr_Doolittle]

FWIW, though my filly went through a few awkward stages (where she was butt high), her basic structure has not changed from the time she was a foal.

She has the same neck, same angles, same general body balance - of course she is small! so looked “finished“ way sooner than most babies.

Here is a photo at her foal inspection - she was 2 1/2 months old.

[colorfan]

Good point for sure and I am not the best with pictures. Yes, I will post again after she sheds out.

[colorfan]

@JB

“more” in what context? I see typical bone for a TB, who are not generally known for visually large bone. But they have dense bone - they had to evolve with dense bone given their traditional breeding use - run fast.

hm I have seen quite a few youngsters, TB as well as others advertised and to me many of them have very delicate looking legs. So compared to what I have seen this filly seems to have ‘sturdier’ legs.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Any idea of her breeding (other than Heinz 57?) What do you know about the dam? How big is the filly now, and how old is she?

She seems to have shorter legs; youngsters are obviously their “leggiest” when they are under a year old (since the legs are close to their adult length at a relatively early age.) I have had two other babies, both TBs - one I bred (sporthorse TB lines) and the other I bought as a weanling, so I was able to assess them at various growth stages. One of them (the smaller of the two) had a shorter neck and back as a foal and then lengthened out as a weanling - it was more noticeable because he had been a pretty compact baby; he wound up with a good moderate length of neck and back, and from yearling to adult he looked pretty much exactly the same - he finished at 15’2", another example of horses who will end up small tending to look more like their adult selves through growth phases, and less “gawky and gangly.” (Sire was long backed and long necked, dam was medium.) The other one had a long neck and a long back as a baby and that didn’t change; much like my Ella. He was leggier, and wound up 16’2-16’3" - he dd go through the typical weanling fuglies but his “basic structure” remained the same throughout his life.

I have boarded at a breeding barn for 9 1/2 years - this has been very educational because I get to see foals become weanlings, then yearlings, then 2 and 3 year olds. Most of them are TBs destined for the track (but some are WBs), and they go through many body changes, but the “bony landmarks” tend to remain consistent even when they go through fugly stages. (I have seen about 150 or so in the years I’ve been there, so a lot of first-hand examples of growth stages as they grow up in front of me.)

The young TBs don’t have as much “bone” (in general) than my WBs - but as mentioned above, it’s more the density than the circumference in many cases. In the winter, ALL baby legs look thicker because of all the hair! , it can be deceptive! ALL hooves look *tinier" than usual - and of course feet grow bigger and wider as babies grow.

What is your eventual goal for a young horse?

[JB]

@colorfan

I have seen quite a few youngsters, TB as well as others advertised and to me many of them have very delicate looking legs. So compared to what I have seen this filly seems to have ‘sturdier’ legs.

There are definitely some lines that have larger diameter legs, and generally all over more bone, for sure. Lots of the youngsters look fairly spindly, but are still appropriate for their body, and their breed

[eightpondfarm]

How old?
(i know you said weanling, but i have let some of the foals i bred stay on dam until weaning organically just happened. That took well over a year with one of my fillies)

And if this young one is of your own breeding could you show conf shots of the sire and dam?

[enjoytheride]

What is it and what do you want to do with it? I didn’t see that information at all.

[colorfan]

She is 7 months old. She is purchased.

[colorfan]

Thanks all for your thoughts. I will post back in the spring after she sheds out.

cheers