I am wondering how many horses actually grew to be the height they were predicted to be as a yearling?
A baby from two 16h parents, should in theory, grow to be 16h. But my weanling is measuring 12.5h at 5 months which seems to put her at about 15.1.
The last baby I raised, almost 20 years ago, was out of a 15.1 mare and a 16h stallion, grew to a shade over 16h. She was string tested and predicted to be 16h. (at a year)
I would love to hear your experiences. :))
My now 19 year old string tested to 14.3. Sire was 14 hands and dam was 14.2. He ended up at 15.1 (still now sure how that happened).
My now 14 year old string tested to 16 hands and is right around there now. Sire was 16 hands, dam was 15.
My yearling string tests to 15 hands even (sire and dam are smaller). He’s 20 months old and already 14.1 ish. Guessing he’s going to end up a little taller. All are Morgans. Two Lippitt, one more modern.
you can’t use any string tests to determine height at that age, as the cannon bone and forearm aren’t done growing vertically. At 12 months, the string tests are much more reliable.
You can go by some general rules of what % of their adult height they are at what age. At around 6 months, they are about 82% of their adult height. That number will be a bit higher if they’re a pony breed, and a bit lower if they are going to be really large (think 17h or so)
Of my 2 personal foals raised, 1 was pretty dead on - string tested to be 17h and was 17. But the other tested to be pretty close to 17h, and is “only” 16.2 or so.
In general, the string tests are pretty good, but there will always be outliers. A lot of that is the height of the pedigree behind the parents.
I didn’t mean to say I used a string test to calculate height on the weanling. I used a formula I got from a horse forum many years ago. Dr.? can’t remember his name, he was a vet and I learned a lot from him.
Final height = current height/percent of mature height.
As you said JB a 6 month old is about 82-86% of mature height.
She has a really lovely personality regardless of height.
All the babies I raised have been larger than both the parents except for one. Mare was 15 hands and TB stud was 17 hands. My resulting filly topped out at 16.3. She was bigger than I thought she would be.
I think a lot has to do with family genes-- just like us. Sometimes you have a tall one somewhere back in the lineage and it just comes out when it feels like it.
My 17 hand gelding is out of a 16 hand mare (with shoes at the end of a cycle) and by a 16 hand stallion. Sire’s sire was 15hands I believe.
Mare family was mostly in the 16 hands or less size.
I presume the height came from the sire’s dam or further back in the pedigree. Or he’s just weird.
Coronet band to middle of knee. Correct for all of mine.
I remember hearing about that method but can you refresh me on the details please.
You do that one at a year also don’t you?
One mare ended up 14.2 out of 15h mare, 15.2H stallion, stock horse breeding. Of the sporthorses, they were not string tested, but ended up at the mares height of 17h or taller. I point to gelding them young as the reason for extra height. After the first 2 colts got so big we changed to gelding them after yearling birthday when testosterone had started closing knees. It helps keep height smaller as fully grown horses.
3 colts by the same stallion out of matching 17h sisters, ended up at 18.1h, 17.1, full brothers. Third colt is 17h. Stallion owner said these 3 are the tallest he ever produced, most fall in the 16h to 16.2 range. Stallion himself was 16.2.
2 other full sibling, gelding is 17h, gelded at one year. Sister now 6, is 16.2, but really filled out this year. Not sure if she is done growing yet. Put on an inch and a half since spring, as well as bulking out. Stallion is 16.2h, mare about the same.
4yr old filly is now about 16.3h out if a 16.3 mare by the above 16.2 stallion. She still looks “immature” and I expect her to get taller as well as bulking out quite a bit. Her dam might have gotten bigger with better diet from weaning to age 2yrs when we bought her. She was kept in pasture with broodmares that ran her off the hay. Extremely thin at purchase, which I expect kept her smaller in spite of good feeding later…
Being so tall, they all keep growing longer than smaller horses. Finish about 7yrs, though the 18.1h horse was 8yrs old when height stopped and he filled out. The stock horse had all her height by age three, but added a lot of bulk in filling out until age 6yrs.
The later gelding plan was from a Texas A&M (I believe) size study on colts. Old study 1970s? Used lots of siblings, related animals, but left some entire, gelded others, gelded early and late, over years. Gelded young, growth went to height. Ungelded with testosterone went to building stallion physique, less height with knees closing earlier. In the study, geldings were always taller than stallions, even with the same breeding lines, full brothers . Late gelding still had taller horses than stallion heights. Consider later gelding if you want smaller geldings. We turn those colts out with older geldings for play and manners, herd living to be better to live with later. They are never kept isolated as some stallion colts are. Older horses tend to squelch rude behaviour!
So as a believer in “genetics will tell”, you need to look at the 3 preceeding generations for best height guesses. Might be doing it wrong, but string tests have not been accurate for us and friends using it.
We are big on good pasture grazing, lots of hay fed to young and old horses, instead of much grain or manufactured feeds. Growth is slower, but they are also never “heavy” with a fat layer while growing. They all get their height, eventually. Our interests are using horses, competitive animals that will stay sound for years. Feet and legs are of paramount importance to us so we do not want heavy babies on legs not yet ready for weight… As a Farrier family we see way too many early growth horses who do not last very long.
Going from mid-knee to coronet needs to follow the contours of the leg
Going from elbow to ergot is a straight line - double that, then add ergot to ground.
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