Is my WB filly too fat/stocky?

[saturnalian]

Long story short, I signed a contract for a foal in-utero who was slipped. Breeder offered me a foal from this year or to rebreed for next year.

This is a KWPN filly who checks all the boxes for me, but I’m a bit worried that she is too chunky/not leggy enough… Her sire throws very leggy babies, and the 2 foals I’ve seen from the dam look pretty normal (not super leggy but not stocky either). This filly is the first foal from this cross.
I’m definitely worried about OCDs and whatever may come from a baby being fat. Her mom has lost a lot of weight too, and they haven’t been able to go outside much due to torrential downpours nearly every day all spring.
I’m visiting her today and will be able to get a better sense of things (and better pics), but what do you guys think? Nothing to be worried about or should I ask if any changes can be made (or skip this one altogether and wait til next year)?

Here’s her at 3 weeks: https://imgur.com/a/FzEGqUZ

She could also just be super muscley, I suppose? She’s so cute but I want to make an informed decision when choosing to take her, and I know I’m just going to fall in love the minute I see her…

[luvmyhackney]

I’m a terrible judge of babies I think they are all darling. But in the 3 week pictures she looks fairly well but together. Neck is shorter than I personally like, but that’s my personal preference.

[LookinForSpace]

She’s certainly not “fat,” since ribs are visible and she has plenty of tuck-up.

[ASBJumper]

She’s not fat, but yes she’s in good weight and well-muscled - looks like mom is giving her everything… my last mare was like that, we were feeding her 4x day and she was still ribby but her filly was a little porker LOL. Fast forward to now the filly (now a 12 yr old mare) has never had any joint or soundness issues whatsoever.

[LaurieB]

At her young age, I would expect her to be leggier (but all my experience is with TBs, not warmbloods).

FWIW, I once had a (TB) filly who looked much like that filly. Mine did grow neck as she matured but she never grew taller than 15.2.

[CanteringCarrot]

She doesn’t strike me as fat, overly heavy, or anything all that alarming. She may or may not be a tall horse. That’s the risk with many foals.

My 2 year old looked more leggy at 1.5 years or so than he did as a foal.

[saturnalian]

Thank you all so much for your eyes!!
I’ve gone to visit twice and I agree with you all - not fat (ribs definitely visible in a healthy way), just some well-defined muscle.
She looks leggy at times but is actually kind of big, which has been hard to tell from pictures. Other foals on the farm are definitely leggier but she’s about the same size as them.

@luvmyhackney

Neck is shorter than I personally like, but that’s my personal preference.

Agreed here too, but I’m thinking she might be quite upright and that’s why? I don’t know a thing about conformation though!

@LaurieB

Mine did grow neck as she matured but she never grew taller than 15.2.

She should finish at 16.1-.2, but I’m hoping for a jumper out of her so small but powerful isn’t the worst thing in the world for me! How much taller were your filly’s parents?

Here are some pics I took yesterday! She’s super cute. I can’t help it, I’m sorry!!

[LaurieB]

@saturnalian

She should finish at 16.1-.2, but I’m hoping for a jumper out of her so small but powerful isn’t the worst thing in the world for me! How much taller were your filly’s parents?

The filly is adorable!

In my case, the sire was 16.2 and the dam was 15.2. My filly did grow up to be small but powerful. Her size was never an issue.

[JB]

If the sire throws leggy babies, how have they mature? Are they leggy “babies” as in offspring who are now adults (or adult enough), or do you mean the typicaly “wow that foal has long legs” leggy (which is nearly always the case)

As of the current pics, she doesn’t look like she’s going to be a leggier horse - more square than a tall rectangle. BUT, that’s not a terribly reliable indicator. My own home-bred started out quite leggy, has a ton of half siblings who are much closer to the sire’s height than the dam, and string tested to 16.3+. But apparently his legs didn’t get that memo LOL He would have needed to be a slightly taller rectangle via longer legs (rather than shorter back) than his square self, to hit 16.3

What does “not leggy enough” really mean? Tall rectangles are harder, as there’s less body room for legs to move out of their own way. Are you concerned about final height? You’d need more info on the general hight of 1/2 siblings by that stallion ideally out of various size mares, and you need more info on the general height behind the mare.

The neck on this one is hard to really see because of the markings, and I think the placement of them are making her neck look shorter than it is

After 3 weeks, you can start getting some back lengthening ahead of the neck which further “shortens” the neck

Agree with the rest that she’s not overweight at all, not thin in some pics, but not fat. She DOES have a good set of muscles on her already

[4horses]

Wow she is built for her age! My colt was all legs and thin (but not too thin) at that age. She’s definitely going to have some muscle on her.

Do you want a horse with that much muscle? I know my friends big horse struggles with the heat and she has to be careful with limited riding in the summer
He sweats but he just gets too hot.

[saturnalian]

@JB

If the sire throws leggy babies, how have they mature? Are they leggy “babies” as in offspring who are now adults (or adult enough), or do you mean the typicaly “wow that foal has long legs” leggy (which is nearly always the case)

I’d say both actually, and on both sides!
All of the sire’s foals I’ve seen are quite leggy. I know of 2 full grown ones which are much taller than him (16hh) and have decently long legs with shorter bodies.
I’ve seen 2 of the dam’s foals, one of which I’ve also seen as a 2 year old. Both definitely leggier and the 2 year old also has longer legs in comparison to his body.

@JB

Are you concerned about final height?

Not at all! I’m 5’7" but my last horse was 15.3 when we bought him at 4, ended up maaaaybe getting to 16.1. He was big barrelled and had a MUCH bigger body in comparison to his legs. Hopefully not going to resell her ever! More concerned about weight management with issues I’ve read about OCD and clubfoot.

@JB

The neck on this one is hard to really see because of the markings, and I think the placement of them are making her neck look shorter than it is

I was thinking this too! Part of me hope she grows a longer neck to compensate, but most of me doesn’t actually enjoy riding a long necked horse, lol.

@4horses

Do you want a horse with that much muscle? I know my friends big horse struggles with the heat and she has to be careful with limited riding in the summer
He sweats but he just gets too hot.

I actually had no idea that was even a consideration I had to make! I thought there would be only upsides of this much muscle… Neither the sire nor mare’s previous foals have ever looked this muscled (from what I can tell).
Does anyone know if they typically keep this kind of muscle definition forever? Will she look like a QH when fully grown?!
(Fwiw, nothing against QHs - last horse was an Appendix!)

[LaurieB]

@saturnalian

I actually had no idea that was even a consideration I had to make! I thought there would be only upsides of this much muscle… Neither the sire nor mare’s previous foals have ever looked this muscled (from what I can tell).
Does anyone know if they typically keep this kind of muscle definition forever? Will she look like a QH when fully grown?!

This is my Thoroughbred filly I mentioned above.
First picture when she was 6 weeks old. Second and third at 3. She remained somewhat muscular, but not overly so. Her physique certainly didn’t hamper her career as she won 6 race.

[JB]

@saturnalian

Both definitely leggier and the 2 year old also has longer legs in comparison to his body.

But what does “leggier” mean? At 2, they should still have longer legs in relation to the body

Legs are done growing by then, but body height isn’t

@saturnalian

More concerned about weight management with issues I’ve read about OCD and clubfoot.

Weight doesn’t have anything to do with a club foot OCD issues are much more about nutrition, not weight. But fat foals do develop things like physitis

@saturnalian

Part of me hope she grows a longer neck to compensate, but most of me doesn’t actually enjoy riding a long necked horse

It’s really pretty darn rare for even reasonably-bred horses to have a neck that’s too short or too long

@saturnalian

Neither the sire nor mare’s previous foals have ever looked this muscled (from what I can tell).
Does anyone know if they typically keep this kind of muscle definition forever? Will she look like a QH when fully grown?

do you have decent conf-type photos of dam and sire?

[LookinForSpace]

@saturnalian

but I’m thinking she might be quite upright and that’s why? I don’t know a thing about conformation though!

She has a lovely shoulder assembly. Nice layback and good length of upper arm.

[4horses]

I would probably look at pictures of sire/dam and grandsire/granddam to get an idea of what she will look like as a mature horse.

My colt is 14.1 hands right now as a 1 year old. Both sire and dam are 14.2 so I thought he would be 14.2 or 15 hands. Looking at his legs he is definitely going to be much bigger than expected. They can inherit surprises from the grandsire and granddam so make sure you look back in the pedigree.

A friend bred her gaited Standardbred to a QH. Both were 15.1 or 15.2 hands. The resulting foal topped out at 17 hands and was built like a warmblood. No one Ever guessed his breed correctly. He was sent back home because he was so big he would lean over the fence and crack the toprails. As for personality, he was not as nice as his dam. There was a terrible mischievous streak in him and he would randomly pull pranks under saddle when you were least expecting them. I blame the stallion but maybe it came from farther back in the pedigree.

Since this is a foal, everything can change at that age. As they shoot up, suddenly they won’t look so chunky anymore.

[saturnalian]

@LaurieB

This is my Thoroughbred filly I mentioned above.

Oh wow - she’s absolutely beautiful!! She was adorable as a foal but elegant in those pics IMO. Gotta love a nice TB. Thank you for sharing those!!

@JB

But what does “leggier” mean? At 2, they should still have longer legs in relation to the body

I guess that’s what I mean, but even now with her being a month old - all the other babies on the farm have much longer legs in proportion to their bodies! But none of them are substantial as she is.

@JB

do you have decent conf-type photos of dam and sire

@4horses

I would probably look at pictures of sire/dam and grandsire/granddam to get an idea of what she will look like as a mature horse.

Sadly no conformation pics of the dam, her parents, or the sire’s parents…
This is the sire, with a pic of his side and dam (there’s a conformation picture of him but not of them - but also pics of his babies!): https://www.goldenedgesporthorses.com/mitril
Only pics I have of the mare really: https://imgur.com/a/4UtnJYP
Her pedigree (she’s KWPN x TB): https://www.horsetelex.com/horses/pedigree/2294418/blue-hawaii

I did a TON of research into the original breeding I wanted but haven’t really been able to find much on this mare sadly! These pics are all the breeder has as she’s a new broodmare for her.

Something I’ve noticed is that she seems super balanced already which is nice (but possibly not an indicator of anything for her as an adult?) - she swaps leads effortlessly and never counter canters. I can upload video but I don’t want to over share lol

[JB]

Ok, I think you will end up with a “square” horse

Sire and dam are not “leggy”, and Mitril’s foals aren’t the “legs for miles” foals, and the pics of the older offspring show more square builds as well

As long as you feel the overall height will be what you want, then I wouldn’t worry about length of leg vs overall height. I think you’re going to have a good square

[bingbingbing]

IMO you will have a similar build/body type to the mare but with a better shoulder.

[saturnalian]

@JB

As long as you feel the overall height will be what you want, then I wouldn’t worry about length of leg vs overall height. I think you’re going to have a good square

Excellent! Thank you for looking. I feel like they’re all leggier than my filly is now, but she has plenty of growing to do.

@bingbingbing

IMO you will have a similar build/body type to the mare but with a better shoulder.

Nice! Would definitely love any opinion of negative conformation you guys see, too… and if so, if there’s anything that I’d need to watch for potential maintenance. I have a trainer who she’ll be going to for hunter breeding classes but I appreciate all the expertise you guys are giving!
I was originally worried about sickle hocks from the pics I got but I’m happy that she’s straight. She looks maybe not 100% straight behind in the pictures I posted the other day but she looks straight in others and in person so… Just standing weird I guess!

[candyappy]

She is definitely more of a stocky build than most foals I’ve seen. The only thing I can think of( negative) is she will probably be a very easy keeper and managing her weight may be a hassle.

Other than that she is just lovely. Color is to die for and she just has a look about her. I wouldn’t pass her up.