Any one have any ideas on how big a warmblood filly will be if they are 14.3 at 15 months. Butt high right now but at withers 14.3 plus smidgen.
Dam is 17 hands and sire is 16.3. How big would you expect this one to end up??
Is there any concrete data about this somewhere? As in could you guarantee that this foal will be X height?? Or are their too many factors to tell for sure how large she will be.
Mine was 14.3 on the nose at 12 months.
Sire was 16.3, damsire 17h (17.1?). Dam matured, I think, around 16.2 or so.
My guy finished a small hair under 17h.
At this age, you can do the 2 string tests and, unless he’s got abnormally long or short legs, will be fairly accurate.
I have one that is 15.3 at the same age :no: STOP growing, stop I say!
It is hard to tell, some horses do all their height in the first two years, others grow until they are 3 or 4 or 5. I had one youngster who grew an inch when he was six!
My colt (17 mos) is currently 15.0 1/2 in front and 15.1 1/2 behind and I expect him to mature at about 16.2H. He was 14.2 at 12 mos old and his older bro that was about the same size at that age is maturing to 16.2H. No guarantees for sure but I would take a stab at around 16.3 which would filt with the parent heights
I’m glad others of you have “ho-nees” Dam 15-3 Sire 16-3 Colt is built like a brick you know what but is not tall…Hopefully he will reach at lease 16 hands.
My 5 month old filly out of my most experienced broodmare 16-3, Sire of foal 16 hands, is almost the same size as my yearling. Either he is going to be small or she is going to be an elephant!!! Her two siblings range from 16-2 to 17-3 out of stallions of the same height (16-1!!). I guess I will know in 5 years (that is how long all my babies take to mature)
I think every horse grows differently. My 3 year old that is coming four was 16 hands at 19 months old, he is now 3 1/2 years old and is just shy of 17 hands. (Sire16.2 1/2, Dam 16.1). He stayed butt high his entire 2 year old year and leveled out just before 3. My yearling who is now 19 months old is about 15.2 (Sire 16.3, Dam 16.1 1/2) He has stayed level most of the time, he really has not had any butt high days. He is just maturing more slowly (which is great for showing in hand) We think he will stop around 16.2 ish. I think the test from middle of knee to coronet band is fairly accurate. I feel my 3 year old will finish growing around 4 years old,( he still has a lot of filling out to do) my yearling may finish a bit later- but is growing more evenly (if that makes sense)!
Your filly sounds like one of mine. She was exactly 14.2 at 12 months and is a smidge over 14.3hh at 15 months. I have done the coronary band-to middle of the knee string test (I use a small measuring tape for cloth - $1 at WalMart) because string can stretch and give you an inaccurate measurement. Anyway, the filly string tests for 16.2hh. Some also say you can add 2 hands from the time they are 12 months old. That also gives me 16.2hh.
Dam is only 15.2hh, maybe a smidge more and sire is 16.2hh but throws height. Height is genetically more complicated than an averaging of sire’s and dam’s height. This explains why some foals end up being shorter than both parents or taller than both parents (assuming both have good nutrition).
FYI, a particularly short or long cannon bone can throw the coronet-to-middle of the knee string test off.
You can’t guarantee the height, just estimate. I will under estimate the beginning of the height range since most people are looking for large horses. With my filly I estimate her at 16.1-16.2hh. However, some people don’t want very large or huge horses so you should let them know if you think the horse has the potential to be more. If your filly is growing at the same rate as mine, and considering the size of your filly’s parents, I would estimate that your filly would be 16.2hh+. I think that would be fair advertisement.
I think it really depends on breed and what you feed them etc. Also depends on when you geld (if colt) or not
My gelding was just under 15.2h at 13 months… I haven’t sticked him since then, but he’s grown since then (ditto the stop growing! lol) His dam was 16.2h sire was 16h, how ever, sire’s sire was 17h. I’m expecting him to be about 16.2-16.3h, but I guess I can be wrong. I’m thinking since he’s half TB he’s growing more like his dam, and will be mature more early then a full WB (hence the 16.2 instead over over 17h guess)
My filly was 14.3 at 15 months…she is now full grown and stands 16.2 1/2
Warmbloods can grow till they are 6 or 7 or so. I was told that when I bought my then 16 hand just turned 6 yr old. He grew 2 more inches.
It depends on the amt. of TB blood and other breeds in the sire and dam’s lines. WBs being registries and not breeds, so the horses can grow a lot or grow a little.
Most of them grow a lot.
My boy grew fast in the beginning (14.3 at 1.5yrs) and then slowed down. Just made 16h this year as a 6 year old.
It does seem very hard to say based on the different rates at which horses grow.
We had a classic case last year - filly sold at 13 months was 14.1h. Sire 16.2h, dam 16h. According to new owner she is only 14.3 to 15h at 26 mo. Not sure where she will end up, as string test said 16.1h and I’ve never seen it be wrong. A previous gelding we bred by 16.2h stallion out of 15.3h mare was 14.2 as a yearling on his b-day, 15h on his 2 yo b-day, 15.2h as a 3yo and now is a solid 16.1h on the stick as a 7 yo, exactly what the string test said he would be when he was 9 months old, despite our disbelief!
So, I would say “you never know” LOL The string test has been accurate for us - the one where you do ergot to elbow and elbow to withers.
My 18 month old has been holding at 16hh for a few months now. His mom is 17.2± and sire is 16.3hh. He’s a real moose with huge bone and I suspect he’s just ‘resting up’ before the next growth spurt. My dentist thinks he’ll make 18hh, but I think that’s a bit much…
Having started my breeding program only three years ago I have not that vast experience with youngsters but I have been with Kentucky Equine Research nutritional program from the beginning. They made a study of more than hundred warmbloods (as they mature later) and have developed a chart which indicates the average height for each month of growth. As the feeding program affect the growth, I have been very careful monitoring their development accordingly to that chart.
So far I have a three years old filly that was expected to be 17.1 and she was right on the spot from the start. I have weanlings and yearlings and closely follow their progress.
Don’t laugh and I don’t know if it make sense but I have this theory: teenagers, girls particularly, who mature early, let say at 12 already look like little woman, seem to stop growing or then very little. The one like me who looked much more like ''skinny long weed ‘’ take more time to mature but are taller. Would it be the same for horses?
Out of my herd, here is what I have noticed. We bought one at two years old and she looked so mature, balance! The string tests indicate that she should be 16.2 Well, she is now 4 and did not grow more than ½ inch since. She is small, 15.3 h and we just hope that she will reach the 16 hands at 6 but I doubt it.
Another one and a half year old filly, never went through that ugly duckling phase yearlings usually go, and has not grown that much in the past few months. According to her dam and sire she should be 16.2 but I suspect she will be 16 hands. My other filly, same age certainly went through that bad phase but had always been right on the spot of this growing chart and should mature 17 hands. Her sire is 16.3 and dam 16.2.
Anyway according to this study, your filly should finish 16.1 1/2 but to be more accurate it would be better to have her growth rate for the last few months. My ‘weedy’ filly is 15 months also and 15.1 ¼ and my other more mature one at the same age was 14.2.
So just for fun… what type of filly is yours, weedy or mature?!
Yes…that is true in horses…generally the ugly babies (gawky/skinny ones) are later to mature and the more filled out looking young ones do quit growing height sooner.
I was pretty worried that my Hanoverian was going to be barely sixteen hands. An ignoramus at my old barn, even called my mare a “midget warmblood” at one time. She was sticked the other day during a vet call to be 16.3. So you never know exactly. Some, like mine, are slow growers. My vet said it’s possible that she may even get bigger. She’s four. Oh and she’s so filled out width wise. From scrawny to Helga size, lol. It’s amazing to watch a horse go from weanling to adult.
My Trakehner/Hanoverian filly measured 14.3 at 16 months. Her sire is 16.3, her dam just under 16 h., but dam had a half-brother (same sire) that was 18 h. Does anyone know what Ith’s height was? I am hoping my filly matures at around 16.2 – does that seem about right?
Thanks for all of the input. I think I will go with the 16.2 since it is what I hoped / thought she would be!! I do not think she looks particularly gawky but not really finished looking either. I guess there is just no telling until they are 7 years old. What I would not do for that crystal ball!!! :lol::lol::lol:
[QUOTE=camohn;3566037]
Yes…that is true in horses…generally the ugly babies (gawky/skinny ones) are later to mature and the more filled out looking young ones do quit growing height sooner.[/QUOTE]
Ha, ha, I agree!! The uglier they are as yearlings, the taller they will end up 
One of mine was 14.3 hh at 15 months and is now a tad under 16.3 hh. at 5 years old. I’m guessing your filly will be tall.
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