She just got measured yesterday and she’s 14.2h. I’m 5’8 and really really want her to get to at least 15h. I know horses will keep going until they’re 5 or 6, but what do we think the odds are of her growing another 2 inches over the next few years?
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It depends. By 3, horses have more than 95% of their finished height.
If she is the slow maturing type and still looks growthy, another 2” is plausible. But for something currently only 14.2h at over 3 years of age, I think 1” at best is more realistic.
The good news is a lot of horses fill out significantly with age, so she will undoubtedly take up more of your leg in a few years.
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She is a late bloomer, definitely. She was very scraggly and small when I bought her a year ago and has gone through multiple significant growth spurts. Fingers crossed 
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I had one that probably grew 2 inches after three. She was a narrow, gawky looking three year old and the breeder said her dam grew until seven. My other one didn’t look like she got any taller after two but she was a very mature looking two year old.
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My horse grew from 16 hands to 16.3 from ages 4-5. So it’s possible. Make sure she’s getting optimal nutrition, but there is nothing wrong with a 14.2 pony. I wish mine hadn’t grown over 16 hands.
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A) Is she in work? Many horses gain an inch when they are put into work, because the muscle/ligament “sling” lifts the torso (remember, the horse’s shoulder is not connected to the spine by bones, so it is the muscles and ligaments that determine the height of the withers)
B) What breed? I had a TB mare that grew an inch between 5 and 6.
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A) She’s turned out for the winter for a combo mild soft tissue injury and being a very very good girl when I backed her this summer so she gets time off until the spring. She was in work until late July and now we go on 20m to 1hr long hand walks on trails a few times a week until winter officially arrives.
B) She’s a paint. lol. Mom was 15.1 and dad was 15 flat.
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Hmm. Most of the stock breed types I’ve known just got wider vs taller, but my TBs grew until 7 or 8. Putting them in proper work can easily put an inch on them as well.
Who knows. IIWM I would rather her NOT grow (14.3-15.2 is an awful height for us H/J people 
) but I expect she will probably put on an inch at least. And fill out a ton, which can make them look way taller!
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What breed? Most of my warm bloods have grown 2-4 inches after that age.
What do you mean by 14.3-15.2 is a bad height for h/j? Most of my experience is with h/j and when she’s old enough and ready I’m going to see how she likes jumping. Me and my little paint pony taking on the hunter ring lol
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Reining bred paint out of QT Poco Streke lines. I never thought I would own a little reining paint pony but alas she is perfect and I’m a sucker.
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Prefacing this with I’m talking open/USHJA shows, not breed shows.
But it’s mainly for resale - honies are a hard sell. While hunters are getting away from the dinosaurs, it’s still not fashionable to be “too tall” for a horse, with the leg hanging below the barrel or the upper body visually unbalancing the horse. Plenty of people barely over 5’ who shop only for 16h or taller, plus the rest of us giants at 5’9”+. Even the jumpers tend to want something bigger, as it is a rare animal that can get down the lines at 15h-ish. A 14.2 cute paint pony that’s safe and gets her swaps is $$$$, vs a hony 14.3-15.2) is $, as far as H/J goes.
That said, if it’s safe and makes the step of your chosen division, who cares? Especially as a keeper. If your goals are breed shows or lower level divisions or schooling shows, it really doesn’t matter.
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Absolutely correct. If you are talking USEF rated shows. Especially 2’6”.+ That’s a very difficult height to get the step without looking like you are running down the lines. Small local shows you could do well.
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These 3 things alone would make me “hesitant” to say she will make it to 15.0. In my experience with breeding my mares and raising the foals is that they almost always surpassed the tallest parent---- but they never knew hunger, nutritional deficiencies or neglect and at her age when you got her that may be the deciding factor in how much she grows.
Or she could end up bigger than you thought 
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