Middle of the knee to coronary band, tape is atraight (kept taut) and the baby is supposed to be at least 12 mos old. The other one is ergot to point of elbow and flip up. The second one is more accurate for horses that have disproportionately long or short cannons. A few years back I had an Arab/WB cross colt with a very short cannon. He string tested 14.3 on the cannon thingy and 15.3 on the ergot test. He ended up 15.3+. He was coming two and 14.3H when the test was taken. I had a devil of a time selling him for a while because some folks were SO stuck on the cannon string test saying he was going to be 14.3H. I was telling people use your heads!! He is a WB cross (will mature late) plus he is 14.3H already at coming 2. He is NOT done at all!! The lady (an Arab breeder that wanted to do Arab sporthorse classes) that ended up buying him bought him off a video but we delivered him to CT. She was shocked when he got off the trailer at how BIG he was. Her mature Arabs were 14.3H and by the time he was delivered he had been growing in the meanwhile and was over 14.3H. I guess she didn’t believe me when I said the “baby” was 14.3H!!
My Contucci filly (foaled May 25th) out of my 16 h Trakehner mare (by Ith) is 14.3 h now and ever-so-slightly butt high. My mare’s other two offspring are 16 h at age 8 (Trak/SWB mare) and 16.1 at age 5-3/4 (Trak gelding by Graditz). I think this girl is going to be the tallest of the three.
String Tests
I did the string test from the ergot to the point of his elbow I get 17.1, but I get 16.1 from the middle of his knee to his coronary band. Does that mean he just has short cannons, or is he still too young for the string tests to work on him (10months - foal from first post)?
Wait til his first birthday. Most of the cannon growth is in the first 12 months…he still has a couple months of spring growth spurts to get through yet!
My Appy X TB Cross was born April 24th. She had a very bad start nutritionally (starved mare, no deworming, had to fight for hay).
She is catching up quick though… measured last week…
14.2 in front, 15 behind.
Dad is 16.1+ mom is a soild 16.2
Mine was born in June and he is 15.2 at the withers.
our tb colt born 3/10/07 was 14.3 about a month ago. his butt is a little higher. dam=16.0 and sire=16.2, so we’ll see. his older half sister was about a hand taller at this age, but her sire is 18.2 and she string tests to about 18hh so…
My April 2007 filly is 15.2 at the withers. Dad is 16.3 and mom is 16.1 so hopefully she’ll be somewhere in between. I am 5’3" so it wouldn’t hurt my feeling if she stopped growing soon! :winkgrin:
Wow, JenRose, 15.2hh sounds big to me for not quite a year old! My one colt was 14.3hh a few weeks ago, but he just seems to have become a monster the last couple of weeks, so I have to re-stick. His parents are 16.2 and 16.1. My little orphan midget is 13.3hh as of yesterday. His parents were both 16.2hh so I am hoping he will eventually catch up after the slow start. He doesn’t have to be 16.2 hh but at least 15.2 would be nice.
Wow 15.2 
[quote=Hunter_R
[/quote]
WOW! He is lovely!:yes:
Here is a pic of my Chaka Kahn filly take a week ago. She’s 14.2 at 9 months.
http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/16739/2310140920055789344S600x600Q85.jpg
Spacely- She’s VERY nice!! Are you going to show her in HB this year?
Wow! I thought our babies were big, but after seeing how big others are, I’m rethinking that! Spacely, your filly is lovely.
Ours seemed to stall out back in December…
#1 - 14.2 at the withers (didn’t do butt), sire is Hadrian - 17 hands, dam is 15.1 - he’s a May 10 baby
#2 - 14.2-1/2 at the withers, sire is Salute The Truth - 17 hands, dam is prob. 16.2, May 17 baby.
#3 - 14 hands at the withers, filly, sire is Salute The Truth, dam is ~16 hands, May 23 baby.
Here they are all lined up - photo taken last week: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2218494770039146725IaowyV
[QUOTE=Clarion;3078098]
Wow, JenRose, 15.2hh sounds big to me for not quite a year old! [/QUOTE]
She is a big girl! Since Christmas, she has really been in a growth spurt. Here is a pic http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2948307220101086842wgqJTH?vhost=good-times
I did measure her standing on hard ground (not concrete though) at the flattest part of her pasture. It is definitely possible that I messed up! :lol: She is every bit as big as my retired guy who has a card at 15.2.
Thanks! We’ll see about the line stuff. Perhaps this summer. If not this year, then definitely as a 2 yr old.
Erin, thanks! I love her!
[QUOTE=camohn;3070016]
String test (held taut) is accurate DEPENDING on if the cannon is proportional. For a horse with a long cannon proportionally then it will measure too big and for a horse with a proportionally short cannon it will errr on the side of short. My 14.3H in front/15H behind TB filly will be 2 in April and her string test says she will be 14.3/she has a really short cannon…so it is not accurate on her!
My 07 colt was just shy of 14.1H last I measured him in Feb./he is a May foal. Dam is 15.1H+ and sire 16.1H. His legs were longer than his dam’s at birth so no way he will be 15.1H! His hocks are about at the same height now as his half brother who looks like he will mature to 16.2H…so I figure at least 16.2! (His 16.1H sire has a bunch of 16.3H family members and most of his kids, even out of small mares, are maturing over 16H).[/QUOTE]
As I understand it you have to do the string test at yearling age. It would be inaccurate if done at 2 years of age.
March 29 filly: 13.3hh (sire 15.3, dam 16.1)
May 3 filly: 14.2hh (sire 16.2, dam 15.3)
Hoping mine stay smaller!
Just measured my filly three days before her 1st birthday, and she’s 15 hands.
Sire: 17.2
Dam: 15.3
My colt will be 2 this month and he is 16.2.
Last year, at this time, he was about 15.2-15.3. His dam is 16.3 and his sire is 16.1. Last year, he string tested at 17.2.
I would bet money that he will reach that height. He just won’t stop growing!!! AND, HE’S A FULL THOROUGHBRED!!! SHOCK! :eek:
My Paint colt looks big to me… clearly I travel in different circles than most of you! He was born 5/25/07 and is 13.3hh at the withers and a bit over 14hh at the butt. His sire is 16hh but his dam is only about 14.1-14.2 herself. He will assuredly pass mom by this summer!
