If a TB gelding is 4yo and 16h, do you think he’s done growing? I know he’ll fill out, but I’m talking about height. What’s your experience?
Mine was almost 16.2 at 4 and a half but haven’t “sticked” her since. I doubt she has gotten any taller. I was told that mentally they don’t really “grow up” until about 9. I eagerly await other’s replies
Generally around 5. My colt grew an inch between 4 and 5 then filled out/was done for height.
As a rule of thumb the QH-build sprinter types tend to mature earlier/the leggy “classic TB” more distance type runners mature more slowly.
I would say they normally finish by 6. Most of mine have grown close to an inch between 4 and 6. Plus they bulk up so much that they will seem bigger…
You can measure his front legs and compare to his body depth and see how much he has left to grow.
I had one grow an inch between 5 and 6.
I got one in July of his 4 year old year. He grew two inches by October of his 5 year old year. My current guy is probably just done growing now (in his 5 year old year) and had several growth spurts from when I got him in April of his 4 year old year
One of my rescued guys grew almost two inches between 6 & 7, but maybe part of that was compensatory growth since he was wicked skinny when I got him. My other rescued boy grew a bit taller too between 5 & 6, though I didn’t stick him before and after. Again, I’m not sure how much of that was compensatory growth. Based on the answers you’re seeing here, I think the definitive answer is, it depends 
I’ve seen them stop growing taller between years 4 and 6. I know a very tall TB right now who is 5, but who is probably not done growing. No one has measured him to find out if this is sure (his legs:depth of body), but he just doesn’t feel “done”. This is usually how I can tell if a horse is done or not… you just watch them, ride them a bit, and if they still feel like they are unfamiliar with their limbs for large stretches of time, they usually are dealing with changes in their bodies. If they are consistently balanced and only getting better for months and months, then they are probably done or nearly so.
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I had one really bulk up over the winter between 5 and 6 years. He went from looking like he had arab in him to looking like a warmblood.
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My guy put on an inch his 5 year old year. His withers popped this year, adding another half inch, at 11, but not sure if that counts or not.
every TB I have known has grown an inch in their 5th year.
then they start growing out which also makes the look bigger.
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Height varies with genetics - e.g., there are earlier-maturing lines and later-maturing lines, so a single rule probably doesn’t apply. I’ve seen TB’s at full height at 3 and others who were still growing at 6. On a maturation basis, musculature and frame change (with exercise, if nothing else) through 8-10. Mental maturation can be even longer, if ever!
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Both of my guys were done by 6, but at my old barn, we had a few TBs who came off the track at 6 and grew anywhere from 1-2 inches more by the time they were 8.
One TB of mine who had a shakey start in life grew at least 2" taller after he came to live with me. He was 16.3-17hh at age 6 when I got him. 17.2 a year+ later…His chest cracked and ribs sprung that year as well.
Another TB I got as a 3 year old who had lived the good life in the back yard of my vet his whole life topped out at 15.3 at the wither, 16.1 at the croup!:eek: Best jumper I’ve ever sat on!
As with everything else horsey, it depends!
Depends on their breeding.
If it is a horse you are looking at to buy…do NOT assume they will grow taller. But 16 hands is a good size for an event horse.
Only thing that you can assume…is that he will not shrink.
Otherwise…a 4 year old…this time of year is almost a 5 year old…I would not assume they will grow much but they could grow an inch or so.
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well, then maybe I’m not nuts.
I have 4 1/2 yr old. I’ve been waiting for his withers to grow (comes from mom and dad w/ mountainous withers) - and it looked like they were starting to “sprout”. lately, however, I’ve been thinking “dang, your butt’s taller again!”.
He’s on the verge of getting too tall - at 16.3+ at the butt… and apparently still growing.
(ok, I’m still probably nuts, but not for this :))
if you were 5’6ish, would you think a 15.2/15.3 4yo is too small? he has tons of talent but i am a little worried about his height…mostly because im used to big guys!
No–not too small–unless he is super fine build. I’m a fairly tall 5’9…and had a few VERY good jumpers/event horses that were only 15.3 or less…and I was perfectly comfortable on them.
It is the shape of their barrel more than anything. I had one that was less than 16hands who took up my leg better and was easier for me to keep my leg in position than my 16.3 hand horse.
I would think for someone your height…that a horse that size may actually be a better fit than a big horse.
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Thanks! I love him so thats exactly what I needed to hear!
I think horses that grow after 4-5 years are an exception rather than the rule. I think the majority of the growth plates on the Thoroughbred or thoroughbred type horse are pretty much finished by chronological age 4 (this would be spring of the 4yo year or whenever actually born) unless I am not remembering my pre-vet stuff correctly. I think if you buy a 4yo at 16hands, pretty much, he’s going to be 16 hands forever more.
I’ve measured my own horses in the stall first thing in the morning, then taken them out and done gallop sets and opened up their lungs, and they measure - no lie - 3/4 of an inch taller.
A nervous horse will measure taller than a calm one. The pony hunter people know all about this. It’s not growth, it’s simply positioning the withers to be most prominent based on how you stand them up, and how calm/nervous they are, oxygen in lungs, etc. Just like you can squinch up your shoulders – it doesn’t change YOUR height because the top of your shoulder blades is not your highest point (your skull is), but the “top” of your horses’ shoulder blades (the spinal process just above both shoulder tops is the withers) are considered their highest point. If they are nervous, they can “scrunch” up their shoulders and push the withers up; it’s easy to do. The pony hunter people looking to get a pony in UNDER a measurement height have a lot of tricks to get those shoulders to relax and get those withers NOT pushed up! Neck positioning, legs, how far under/away the front legs are, etc.
I think a lot of the time people say horses “grow” and I think it’s just how they are being stood up to be measured. I think doing something like taking three readings during the day, before and after work, and after a calm period (such as after a time in the stall), and that might be a truer way to know exactly how tall a horse is. Not that an inch or two matters much either way for eventing – stride length I think is more important, and that doesn’t depend on height! (Think Teddy!)
