Fugly stage at 2 3/4 years old? Tell me that this too shall pass!

[Dr_Doolittle]

My Escudo II filly (carbon copy of her sire) seems to be in an ugly stage at the moment, right as she is supposed to be “getting ready to blossom” as she approaches the age of 3

She did have a brief case of the fuglies over the winter between 6 months and a year, but on the whole she has skipped over any real awkward stages, and throughout her (slow) growth, has been a lovely young horse, with a beautiful neck and a cute pony head, great shoulder, good hind end angles (she is a bit straight in the hind leg, but has a nice forward sloping femur and low set hocks), and her single “conformation flaw” is that she is too long in the back. She didn’t get this from her dam, and I don’t notice it in the E boys; I suspect a distant relative was responsible for this throwback gene–perhaps Samber?

She was a lovely baby, too–got an 8.3 (and was first premium) at her inspection, and has gotten compliments on her beauty from everyone throughout her life.

Now–in addition to needing a visit from the “wither fairy” (who has yet to make an appearance, actually!), the neck fairy and the butt fairy seem to have also left town…It doesn’t help that she STILL has her ugly, bleached dead winter coat, and is shedding very, very slowly (otherwise she is healthy healthy, and her general demeanor is wonderful, as are her attitude and energy level.)

Oy.

Will my “swan” appear between now and her late June birthday???

(My previous babies, TB colts/geldings, didn’t go through an ugly stage as they approached 3, at least not IIRC.)

Could I get some reassurance that this is NOT abnormal? Please and thank you in advance? Are others similarly afflicted? sigh I plan to start her under saddle later this summer/fall, but will certainly postpone it if she is in an awkward stage; I’m hoping this might be “preceding” a bit of a growth spurt? She has grown very slowly, is small, and will probably not grow much more–maybe topping out at 15.1 or 15.2. She has always looked like a “finished horse” compared to other youngsters.

[SnicklefritzG]

I’m not a breeder, but I have worked with young horses starting with yearlings through their 3-4 year old year. It often seems like they grown in stages! They are super cute when they are born, then they get butt high, then their front end catches up, then their butt gets higher yet again. Somewhere around 3 or so they start looking more like a normal horse.

I’m sure many breeders will chime in to say that this too shall pass.

[Clair2014]

I just sold my young Hanoverian gelding who was quite ‘fugly’ at that age and had no withers either. I couldn’t start him until he was 3-1/2 because ANY saddle we put on him would just slide right up on his neck. He really blossomed around 3-1/2 though and turned out beautiful. I had absolutely no trouble selling him. It seems like the slow growers get stuck in this stage more than some of the others. Hang in there!

[Dr_Doolittle]

Thanks, Clair

Snicklefritz, she has been mostly a little butt high throughout–but has not had any discernable growth spurts–to my great consternation :-/

(It’s okay, I didn’t want a big horse! None of her relatives are big, nor are they “large, slow growing and slow to mature” types.)

My concern is that as she approaches the age of three, she should be starting to blossom into the horse she was meant to be–and not start looking WORSE than she did during the usual “fugly growth stage ages.”

:sigh:

[Jumper_girl221]

“bratzilla” as a 3 year old

About to turn 4…still has some ugly stages and I’m holding my breath waiting on the back fairy (seriously how the hell is a saddle going to fit on that!).

She’s a 2011 by Banderas out of a hefty TB mare. Alas she needs a visit from the height fairy as well as the back fairy, she’s finally hit 15.3, but she is still quite gawky and my vet assures me she still has another inch or two left in her. Sire is 16.2, dam 16.1

I’ve not started her under saddle, although she’s done some brief lunging sessions under tack this spring.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Jumper, your girl certainly added a lot of substance between 3 and 4!

Her back looks fine to me, FWIW

How big was she at 3, and how much did she grow between 3 and 4?

[Jumper_girl221]

She was roughly 15.2 at 3 off the top of my head, and now she’s 15.3 on her tippy toes at the end of a trim cycle lol.

And I ride in a 18 1/2" saddle scowls In all honestly, while she is very compact/short backed, a good portion of that is also due to her having such a long wither it makes her look shorter then she is. If I rode in say, a 16" we’d be fine lol unfortunately my 5’10" self can’t quite squeeze into one.

As far as substance, she goes through stages, even as a baby where she looks hefty, then she grows and looks narrow again. She did go from a 68" blanket as a 2 and 3 year old to a 75" this winter lol.

[Jumper_girl221]

This was 6 months after that other picture as an example of her cycles lol.

I also do try to keep her on the thinner side since she’s a growing baby (while still giving her sufficient feed for her vit/minerals), and sometimes the unlimited hay will catch up with her when I’m not paying attention lol

A pic of her as a 2 year old

[Ibex]

My mare was not cute at her 3rd Bday. You could see there was something nice in there, but it was a couple of months later before we hit that sweet spot of what she’d look like as a mature horse!

[jewelsnq]

It Shall Pass

I have a 5 year old, soon to be 6, Escudo II mare that I got as a 4 year old. She had no withers and a thin weedy neck when I bought her. She has developed a beautiful neck that is tied nicely into a lovely wither. I wondered about the withers too as she didn’t start to develop one until her 5 year old year. I think she is absolutely beautiful and she is really fun to work with. I am training her in dressage and she loves to work and learn. I wouldn’t worry about yours too much at this stage. I would love to see some pictures, and would be happy to share some with you if you are interested.

[arlosmine]

I have one who grew TWO inches between six and seven. And believe me, four to five were uuiuuugly years: 15.3 hands and three inches downhill.
He ended up 16.2 and uphill. Just wait, she will grow into herself

[Dr_Doolittle]

Thanks, everyone–this gives me hope! She has had a few growthier stages (where she was leaner), but has been generally more substantial and more “mature looking” since the age of 2. The BO has excellent pasture and forage, and feeds plenty of it; and I’ve had to talk her into feeding less grain, and because of some ulcery issues as an 18 month old, she is now on an RB (ideally my filly would be a little less “chunky” as a growing horse, but it is what it is when you board )

She is NOT going to grow much more, the string test(s) don’t put her over 15.2-15.3, but I’m hoping that she gets that beautiful neck back…AND grows some withers! I am hoping that she winds up at least level, though she will probably not be “uphill”. It would be nice if she were not downhill, but I guess I just need to be patient.

jewels–I can PM you with a link to some photos on my FB page, which I don’t want to share out there with the general public

[netg]

My mare had her worst stage right about then. Since 2 1/2 she has been mostly downhill, with about 2 days/month she comes uphill, then goes back downhill again. She’s 5 now, and finally starting to steady out - but at nearing 3 she definitely looked her worst.

[Beentheredonethat]

My six year old was a STUNNING baby, until about 1. And then until well over three she was horrible. She spent most of those 2 years 2 to 3 inches butt high, ewe necked, no withers (they have JUST come back at 6) and chestless.

Super cute at 5 months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEJvqlbF7C0

10 months, super mover, UGLY standing still: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT1h4OYIvjE

1 year 7 months, still a super mover, neck is completely gone, giant head, 3 " high behind, no chest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND4mtkZJYQg

Here she is at 3 with her younger full sister at 1. You can see she’s starting to come out of it, and younger sister is butt ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmiST7kxiNE

Here she is (black) at 6 with her mom (lightest, smallest one) and now 4 year old sister: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKGeKWA6nJk

They grew out of it well.

[J-Lu]

Wow, BTDT, your Freestyle babies so remind me of mine. How interesting to watch your horses move.

[Beentheredonethat]

I was wondering how long it would take you to see them. You can tell they all come from him, can’t you? And they don’t even look that good there. They are both showing now and stunning. The younger one might even be better.

Interesting the older one went through a LOONG fugly stage and looks a lot like Freestyle, baroquish and black. The younger one looks like a giant version of her mom and like a leggy TB, but unbelievable mover. She had a very short fugly phase, but was very well balanced and nice through most of her youth.

Got an videos of your boy?

[MysticOakRanch]

I find the ones that are pretty and look finished at 1 and 2 (and 3) end up being smaller horses. I have a few of them - and my personal preference is for a smaller horse. But those that tend to look awkward and fugly usually end up being bigger horses - and take longer before they are grown into themselves.

Think about those 13 year old boys in high school - that are all elbows and knees and feet, awkward and funny looking. Then at 17, they start to grow into themselves and you wonder “where did that 6.2 hunk come from”? Our horses are like that…

The old “3 days, 3 weeks, 3 years” is pretty inaccurate in some ways. It all depends on their growth spurts. Don’t panic, wait another year, you may find a different horse in your pasture next Spring:yes:

[JB]

My 17h WB was a very pretty, finished looking yearling, so not small LOL

Picture of a photo of his 1st birthday at 14.3h on the dot.
https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t31.0-8/202810_3694820845705_1467206638_o.jpg

He never grew awkwardly. Ever.

Now my current 4yo whom I bred? omgosh. He was gorgeous as a yearling. Even at 2 he wasn’t that bad - pretty well proportioned just with that gangly look. At 3? One day his butt shot up and his SI was reaching for the stars and I cried! A few weeks later things were much better. At 4 now he’s still obviously got growing still to do, as opposed to looking like and adult who you think will likely grow some more, if that makes sense, but at least he’s not looking like 3 different horses in the same shell.

[Dr_Doolittle]

You are all very reassuring–though I am mortified when I look at her these days Definitely “hide her behind the barn” time!

Again, she has looked “finished” pretty much all her life, never gangly or excessively butt high (and if she makes 15.2, I will be thrilled!), though she did go through a goose rumped stage as a yearling.

If she just grows WITHERS, she will be a lovely, well-proportioned horse (my last baby, a TB, grew withers between 3 and 4), but I’m figured they will come if I’m patient. There is enough of a wither now to put a saddle behind

My concern is the missing neck and butt :eek:, which used to be there but seem to have fled the scene. Unlike many other youngsters, she has always had a long, lovely, arched, well-shaped and well-set neck, pretty much from birth–it’s her defining feature (and typical of E2 babies )

I must say I’m relieved to hear that this is a growth stage some of them go through (as opposed to “assess them at 3”, which is the usual dogma.) I was starting to think that there was something wrong with her! :eek:

Phew…

[Dr_Doolittle]

BTW, ALL of the babies other posters linked to in this thread are lovely, “awkward stages” and all Those are some high quality youngsters!