So when do they stop growing ? Looking at 15.2 h Oldenburg thats 4, how much more growing ? Someone told me they can grow till 6 yrs. ?? True or False ?
Some people have reported growth up to age 7 although I think it is usually pretty much over by age 4-5. I would look to the parents and see what their growth pattern was. Have you done a string test to estimate mature height on your WB? That might give you an idea if you should expect more height or not.
In my case my Hanoverian grew until he was 6. At 3 he was barely 15.1hh and how he’s a solid 16.3hh.
He didn’t just grow in height but really filled out.
It depends on how much tb blood is in the individual and what other breeds are there, and of course
It depends on the size of the sire and dam.
My wb stopped growing when he was about 7 yoa. He grew over an inch between his 5th and 7th birthdays.
That’s interesting - wondering what sort of influence the TB has? guessing faster growth to maturity?
Yes…WBs can easily grow until 5 or 6 and occasionally 7.
I have a G-line Hanoverian (a line known for later growth) who grew an inch between 6 and 7. He was ~16H when he was coming 4 and finished at 16.3H. I have a 3yo mare by the same stallion and she is a carbon copy of his growth pattern - she’s a little over 16H now. I expect maybe 16.2 from her. She still looks physically immature.
ohhh these stories really give me hope!!
I have a 14.3 hh 4 year old (late 4) Swedish warmblood Irish Tb cross by Amiral. His dam (the irish tb) grew a full inch after 5. Both parents are over 16.1. I am hoping for at least 15.2.
Funny someone just came to look at a 3.5 yr old I have and also looked at a 2.5 yr old gelding. He is only 15.3 or so right now whereas she is already 16.3 and big boned. She is going to be huge when she finishes at 7. He should turn out a nice refined 16.2 or even .3 They would not even look more than once at the gelding because he was ‘too small’ They said the mare was a prefect fit the way she was now. I tried unsuccessfully to explain that he would end up at 7 where she is now at 3.5.
I have had mine grow as late as 7 years and sometimes quite a bit between 4 and 7 too.
I bought a small mare at age 2.5 and she didn’t grow. She is 15 hands but thinks she is 17 hands.
I had a Walldorf filly that was HUGE as a baby and she finished about 15.3H, an inch taller than her mother.
You never know.
I had a DWB x TB who grew an inch between 8 and 9, though the biggest difference at that age was the enormous amount of filling out he did. But I’ve also had WBs who were done at 4…it just depends on the horse. I’ve also had TBs who grew several inches between 5 and 7, so it’s not just the WBs! In fact, I have a TB colt who’s 4 1/2 right now and should grow another 2-3 inches if he’s going to hit his stringtest height (and I believe he will based on the fact that he’s still so physically immature).
I have a 1/2 swedish warmblood colt - coming 2 yr old 16.3hh - he is a 1/4 clyde - his uncle grew until he was 7 and grew an 1 inch from 6 to 7.
[QUOTE=Carrera;3688243]
In my case my Hanoverian grew until he was 6. At 3 he was barely 15.1hh and how he’s a solid 16.3hh.
He didn’t just grow in height but really filled out.[/QUOTE]
That’s very interesting! I have a 3 year old filly who is 15h. I love her to pieces and will keep her and love her for her whole life regardless of how big she ends up, but when I bred my 16h mare to a 17h stallion, I didn’t anticipate getting a 15h offspring. Your post gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe - just maybe - she’ll put on a late spurt and make it to 15.3 or so. 
I have a G line Hanoverian that quit growing up at 3. She certainly filled out significantly for another 2 years but she never grew an inch higher once she turned 3. I have her baby who is HUGE and I am hoping for the same with her, she is 16’3 and is not even 3 yet. Her mother is 15’3.
I just don’t think you can make any generalizations about growth - it really depends on the horse.
We’ve had a couple grow to 7. Most stopped at 5 or 6. But you should keep in mind the whithers area is the last to grow so the height measurement doesn’t finalize until they have stopped growing.
Over the 22 years of breeding we measure both the whithers and the top of the croup. Normally through the early growing years we would see the croup measurement being 1-2" more than the whithers (some of our colts were 3"). When we saw the measurements start to come closer to each other and then the croup measurement stop, we usually found the final height was 2" above the final height of croup.
Just our findings. Of course, a couple varied but not many.
Ponies did mature to final height at a much earlier age than the horses.
My babies seem to have reached almost their full height by 4 years of age (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 " left to grow), though they are still filling out for a year or two. The last 1/2" or inch is usually at the withes as the shoulders and withers finish growing.
Looking at 15.2 h Oldenburg thats 4,
No way to know if that horse will get much taller.
Who has had experience with a pony (my Blue Who @ 11.2) and a Donnerhall warmblood mare that is a big 15.3. I think her two (yearling and weanling) will stay pony size, but what do I know?? They are quite small now.
My main mare line grows until about 6 years old usually getting an inch in that 5 year old year.
