Photos of the baby! He’s only 3 days old here.
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Just added!
Last time I put a stick on him he was ~ 15.2hh which is the reason I’m a bit nervous about his end height.
How old is the foal now?
I know these pictures were just taken at a few days old and things change so fast at that age, but I’d keep an eye on that left hind if you’re really seriously considering him as a H/J prospect. It could be an oddball thing he outgrows even in just a few weeks, but I believe that babies are typically more upright in their pasterns, and they “drop” over time to a correct angle, so seeing it so low already concerns me.
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Thanks, I saw that too. They can actually be dropped like that or have contracted tendons, I’ve seen both. It typically will just resolve itself/tighten up and a week or two. He’s a week old today I believe and I should be getting updated media soon.
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Ah okay, so still a “baby” baby! That makes me feel a bit better heh. Those first few weeks are really wild with all the changes they go through!
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Yeah, I’m with Beowulf.
That’s a beautiful horse.
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Keep the horse. Even if he tops out at his current height (which I doubt, they always keep growing) that’s a gorgeous horse and if you can get some good miles on him you could sell him for a large profit and buy something else.
Buying Babies is a crapshoot. You might end up with exactly what you want, or you may end up with a 14.2 hony. Or you might find it out in the pasture at a year old with a catastrophic injury. Previous babies from the same parents help to give yourself an idea of what you will get, but it’s not a promise.
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As an aside; I bought a 14.1h 2 year old pony. Everyone said he wouldn’t get much, if any, taller. Even the vet agreed. At 3 and 4 he was 14.1 1/2.
He’s now 8 and 15.2. So much for my pony.
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Me either. Known a few that we wished would stop growing at 3, though. Lol
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Thanks everyone for the kind words. I adore him which makes this all harder. Definitely leaning towards keeping him around for a while!
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The foal is adorable too. I see nothing I don’t like… but you know what they say (and @Janet said it as well…) a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!!
Good thing my trailer fits two…
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I agree, and thank you! One of the full siblings is the same age as my guy, big, and gorgeous. Makes it even harder for me!
Hahahah, just read the trailer comment! 
I would be extremely surprised if your horse doesn’t have a few more inches and a lot of pounds in him. That wither looks like it just grew which means the butt is next and then the wither again. Unless something happened that makes you think he won’t have a normal growth pattern— he doesn’t look done to me.
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I think with horses it can sometimes be tempting to fall into the trap of ‘if only…’ It’s easy to look at your horse and think ‘if only he was scopier/taller/more compact/hotter/quieter/older/younger/bolder/more adjustable/better trained/had less baggage/etc… THEN I’d be doing/set to do XYZ’. Sometimes it’s true, it’s a bad match or you need something different to reach your goals… but often I think it’s a matter of the grass is greener on the other side. I am definitely guilty of this train of thought sometimes; but looking back I’m glad that I’ve stuck with my horses.
I would keep the 3 year old. I’d be very surprised if he’s done growing at this stage - I’d expect him to continue to grow and/or fill out until he’s at least 6. If, by the time he’s 5 he’s still small and you’ve decided it’s just not working, the 2023 baby will be available, and you might even get your dream pinto at that point! (Out of curiosity, what is the bloodline that gives the spots? Samber?)
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You know, as each year passes, every prospect you pass on to wait for something closer to that perfect picture you have of “Mr Right” is from one to three years lost in your riding career to develop that perfect partner.
Some thrive on the hunt and expectation to the point they are afraid to “ close the deal” . By the time everything meets their perfect criteria, they’ve “ aged out” of their prime years as a rider…
Sounds weird but give it some thought. Known more then one gal who kept buying another and another very young horse, waiting a couple of years on each but never fully finishing any of them before finding another perfect weanling. Then one day their age caught up to them, health changed or finances fell apart. Never reached their goal of enjoying one they made.
Dont end up that way. Get what you have now finished, don’t waste good riding years waiting on babies.
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I’m a big fan of step over size. That being said, one look at those cannon bones and I would be fairly certain that he will grow. It’s rare that a WB doesn’t grow after 3, especially a gelding. I’d hang on to him.
Remember, weanlings regularly try to kill themselves. By the age of 3, they tend to give that up.
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I will arm wrestle you for him!
I wondered if the first pic was a photo perspective illusion making his head appear too big for his body. But, the trot pic shows the same thing.
He isn’t done growing at all.
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It is all about the step really if your goal is to compete in good company in the rated hunters (not saying that THIS is your goal). If you think the horse will have the step to get up the line at the height of jumps you want to jump, then keep him. Otherwise, I would move on. It is hard to ride a little horse well in my opinion, though I always want to try (I’m 5ft). It takes more accuracy and guts to ride at a gallop. If you miss at a 4 stride line or at the in and out, God help you, especially indoors. If you like the challenge and he’s got the step, go for it.
I’ve had two that were in the 15.1h-15.2h range as 3yo. By 6 they were both over 16.1h and had filled out immensely. One was very even and very uphill, and he slowly kept creeping up and up. The other looked like a butt-high yak with no neck, and I never thought he’d get there but is a beautiful, well-balanced beast now.
Yours is going to get longer, taller and thicker, maybe by quite a lot. I’d keep him.
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