Do I have a runt?

She’ll be a cute runt, but I’m beginning to be bummed out. :frowning:

9 months old next week and just 13 hands.

She is Hano/TB/Irish Draught cross. Both parents 16.1. Was hoping/assuming bambino would end up at similar height. Some height on her dam sires side (the ID) but mare’s dam (the TB) was only 15.2. Sire’s side seems pretty consistently 16.1 plus.

Any hope? Or am I likely in the 15 hand neighborhood?

I bet she surprises you. It just might take her a bit longer to get there.

I heart you, kookicat! Thanks for cheering me up.

Not sure, but I have midget Hanoverian, She is 4 coming 5 and is 15.2 1/2. The vet thinks she will grow, but I have doubts. Her dam was 16.2 ish, and sire is 16.1. Have you done the string test? She is still young, lots of time to catch up.

Yeah, the babies can fool ya. They seem to sit on a height and all of a sudden they shoot up. They can grow until 4 or more.
PennyG

I’ve read that string test needs to wait until they are 12 months…so I am patiently waiting a bit to do that!

IDs tend to be slow to reach their full height. Heck, one of my TBs grew an inch after his fifth birthday! :slight_smile:

I wouldn’t worry yet. You may have one that will grow in big spurts rather than a nice, even growth. Is she level now or butt high? The ID can be very slow in growth and some will still add 3-4 inches at 4+

Butt high, for sure! And she has certainly grown…ahem…wider. But I have been hoping for an upward spurt that hasn’t happened. I’ve had her momma since she was 11 months, so I have been hunting down old pictures to compare. But, as a yearling, her momma (the ID cross) was a good hand+ taller.

Magrathea?

If I remember right there was a Mountain Pearl gelding out of Magrathea who we all though would be a cob. He didn’t grow and didn’t grow and WHEN he grew he was 16.3. Yours would not be the first IDSH to grow slow and steady for a loooong time. PatO

I’ve got an ID gelding that grew till 8. He’s 17.3

I’m worrying about my filly a little bit too - Mom is 16.3, dad is 16.3. Baby is 13 hands at 9 months. I’m holding out hope that it’s because she was an ET and will catch up later. The recipient mare was a lot smaller than I would have liked. Her full brother, born a week later and carried by the biological mother is over 14 hands. Hoping she’ll catch up eventually.

I have a purebred Connemara colt who is just 8m now and is 12.3 1/2 at the shoulder and more at the hip. Sire and dam are both 14.1HH. Most of his brothers and sisters have been slow growing and the oldest one not finished till 8. His four year old half sister who is coming four is still very growthy looking to me :slight_smile: I dont even tend to look at mine till they are long 2yo before I try to guess a finished height.

If it makes you feel better, my horse always stalled out this time of year and then had a huge growth spurt each year in the month of her birth (May). Is she butt high or gangly looking or very well balanced?

Definitely butt high. I would not call her gangly…but she is not the pretty girl she was at inspection time last August. Quite yak-like at the moment. :slight_smile:
So not gangly…but definitely not balanced and horse-like.

My boy has been slow to grow. He’s currently 5 and just reached 16.1 this year.
He’s out of my maiden TB who is 16.2 hands, sire 16.1.

Looking at my tracking notes, at 8 months he was 13.2.

One year old 14.1 - I remember going to breed shows and they thought we were there for the pony class since the others were already 15.3…

At 2 he was 15.1 and between 2.5 and early 4 he stayed at 15.3

He’s slowly creeping along upwards. His hind end is still higher than the front, so I’m still hoping he gets to 16.2. He has tons of bony and big joints. He’s never gone thru a gangly stage.

My friends horse by the same sire crept slowly up too and at 6 reached 16.2

[QUOTE=Roisin;7315140]
Definitely butt high. I would not call her gangly…but she is not the pretty girl she was at inspection time last August. Quite yak-like at the moment. :slight_smile:
So not gangly…but definitely not balanced and horse-like.[/QUOTE]

I bet you are on your way to a spurt with the butt high. Do not despair just yet…