Crystal ball at the ready......height question!

[bicky]

Hi folks, here I go with a question that is just about impossible to answer! Typical me I hear you cry! LOL

Anyway, I have never doubted Teddy would mature to around 15.2hh - you've all seen pics of him and he is a big boy! Today I did the measuring from the top of his leg to his ergot thing, then pivoted the rope round from the top of his leg to guess his approx height........if this 'technique' is correct he won't make bigger than 14hh!!!!! This is not good!

Here are his vitals from today.......clyde x cob, withers 13hh, bum 13.3hh, weight 282kg and 6.5 months old. Mam was a clyde x standing 15.3hh and dad a traditional cob standing 15.1hh. I'm wanting 15.2hh, but anything over 15hh would be fab! Kinzzy is only 14.2hh, so I just want to bigger kinzzy really!

What do you all think? How big are your youngsters if you have them? Please tell me I'm panicking over nothing and that within 3 years he will grow at least another 2 hands!

Over to you folks - get those crystal balls out and let the predictions begin! I can post pics if you want some of mam, dad and Teddy.

[specialsparkle3]

I still say if his knees matched his mum's at weaning he will be her height or bigger. I think ( haven't measured ) Frankie is is around 13 .1 behind and I expect him to make 15.2 HH but when his new owners had him vetted in December and asked the vet what he thought, he said " now you're asking " Well I agree ------------------Tedddy will tell you when he's around 6 ;D

[BJMM]

I'll second SS3 with the knees and weaning theory! My 4 year old's mum was 16hh TB, we have no idea what dad was as mum was rescued in foal. Jas does look more TB than anything else. She was 9hh when born, around 13.2hh at 6 months, 14.2hh at 18 months and is now 15.2hh. She was 4 on Christmas Day. Couldn't do the knee thing with her as unfortunately her mum died when she was 12 weeks old, but I know lots of people who have gone by this and it does seem to work out nearly every time.
I would think it pretty likely that Teddy will make around 15.2hh

[kafee]

Squirrel was about 12.2hh at 6 months, he's now 14.1ish and rising 3. He's a forest born NF.

[bicky]

Thanks everyone! I've just measured him from the middle of his knee (the soft part where it dips in) down to his coronet band and it measures 16 inches. Supposedly it means he should make in the region of 16hh. We could be looking at a big horse!!! That would be great. Do any of you use that calculation to guess adult height? Just wondering how reliable it is!

[joflo]

OOOOOOOOH! Don't! I'm obsessed with the mature height thing because I'm still panicking that Flo won't be big enough for me to squash safely. She's about 14.1 atm and 32 months old (3 at the end of May). I did the 'ergot to elbow' thing last week and it suggested she might make almost 15hh (which will be fine) but she just never seems to grow! Bicky when you did the knee to coronet did you keep the tape close to the limb or just measure it in a straight line? Does that make sense?

[Liz]

It really is hard to assess and you can only go by rule of thumb as mentioned above. I bred a nice TB/ID/WC mix ages ago now. Dad was 16.3 TB with a touch of draft and 10" of bone, Mum was a 15.3hh TBxWC and was not quite a MW. The filly ended up a LW but didn't mature to her final height of 16.1 until she was about 6. I didn't think she'd make that and she was sold to a nice lady in N Devon when a 4yo though as a LW she wouldn't have been big enough for me. She was resold at Malvern SHB(GB) sales when riding on nicely.

[specialsparkle3]

Sorry but the measuring cannon bones theory means nothing as some horses are long in the cannon and some are short. Only seems to hold water when compared with the dam whose bone most youngsters inherit.

[bicky]

ThanksSS3.

Joflo - I measured from the knee to the coronet band in a straight line, not following the contours of the leg if that makes sense! I also did the piece of string from the elbow to the bulb of the heel and doubled the measurement. This came out at approx 16hh too! Just a guess I know, but good to know!

[spring]

Would he likely to be taller than his leg height would suggest, seeing as he's a cobby sort. They usually tend to be much deeper in the body with shorter legs generally.

[joflo]

Yes Bicky - that's what I was asking Thanks. SS3 I know what you're saying and I thought that too but it's interesting what you say about inheriting the dam's length of bone. Thanks for that.

[Deleted]

Sorry I can't help but can we see some more piccies of the beautiful Teddy? Pleeeease!

[bicky]

Any excuse to post more pics......just for you! This is a small selection from my many hundreds.....
3 days old!

5 week old - first day he came to me!

Special times!

Teddy and the magic rug!

This is the knee pic I posted for SS3 - Teddy was 3 months in this pic and as you can see his leg length isn't that much behind his mam! SS3 says this is a good way to determine adult height! Mam is 15.3hh, dad is 15.1ish, maybe slightly bigger!

[Deleted]

;D He's so lovely!

[big e]

I was told if you measure your horses height on its first birthday they should grow another hand

Last year Dora was 12hh at 1 year old so i am expecting her to make 13hh and she is about 12 2 now and 20months old.

Jarvis was 9 2 so i expect him to make 10 2 but i think he is 10 2 now and only 20 months so maybe 11hh

Jill is about 12 hh -12 1 hh and Polly's dad although i never meet him was 13 2 aged 2 and was a welsh C x. Polly is 6 months and must be near 12hh as she is bigger at the bum than Dora but smaller at the wither so i am hoping she will make 13 2.

She makes Jarvis look like the baby of the 3. and if we are showing foal pics



Polly in front, then Dora then Javis taken in early december