I have a colt that is about nine months old. He's about 12 hands high and I was wondering if he's as big as he should be. He seems to have stopped growing. His mother in 14 and a half hands and his father is about 13 and a half or 14 hands.

-- Jessica (jaywig86@psknet.com), March 15, 2002

Answers

Jessica, I think breed has something to do with growth. I have a 4 year old and he is still filling out. I thing with most horses you have to give them at least 3 years to finish growing. Generally you wouldn't begin riding a horse until they reach full growth, at about 3 years. I am sure your library would have some good books about horses and development.

Hope this helps! Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), March 15, 2002.

Jessica - they go through growth spurts just like any youngun. It sounds like he's on target. Normally a horse won't outgrow their parents. Unless his sire is a pony then his sire is prolly 14 hands which means your colt will be between 14 to 14.2 hands. If you geld the colt around a year old he'll grow taller than if you keep him whole. Of course, I assume you're free feeding him coastal hay and water and he's not wanting anything nutrionally.

One vet told me you could measure from top of hoof to middle of knee in a straight line and the number of inches is how many hands they'll be.

-- zeb (wrangler@jridgeranch.com), March 15, 2002.

I had a friend buy a malnurished filly at an auction and her growth spurts would leave her hind end taller than her withers; next spurt: withers taller than hind end, heehee. One end was always trying to catch up to the other until she reached 3 yrs. Probably still growing, the little weed:)

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Jessica, no one can tell you what size the colt should be. There's too many factors....what his genes are from his sire, mare, and back on both sides for several generations; how his mom was fed; how he was/is fed, etc. And every now and then there's a throw-back with no explanation of why they turn out like they do!

Epona, it's normal for colts to grow that way! It always seems strange to see the withers higher than the croup one day and the croup higher than the withers a short time later. It sometimes seems to take forever for them to finish growing and have correct conformation.

To find out what the adult height of a colt will be, measure from the soft spot mid knee to the coronet band (hairline on top of hoof).

An inch equals a hand....

15 inches = 15 hands

15 1/4 inches = 15.1 hands

15 1/2 inches = 15.2 hands

15 3/4 inches = 15.3 hands

16 inches = 16 hands

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

I have a filly who is very small, she is 11 months old and about the size of a 7 month old. I keep feeding her, waiting on one of those growth spurts...seems like it's not going to get here!

-- Angela (Daizy_73@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

Your colt's parents aren't very big-actually from the description they're ponies, so it's doubtful that he'll grow behind 14.2-14.3 hands. He'll certainly grow more tho, at 9 months he hasn't reached his full height. I agree with having him gelded now, if he hasn't been already, it will add an inch or so to his height.

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), March 16, 2002.

Rogo: I knew that and had seen it before, but I forgot to mention she was a thoroughbred so when she got good feed she shot up so fast, and she was so lanky, that it looked unusually extreme:)

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Some of them have very strange growth stages but most will end up about the size of the parents, or at least not much smaller than the smallest parent and not much larger than the larger parent ... unless there are much bigger horses or smaller horses in the backgrounds. I suspect your colt will mature around 14 hands.

When I moved to Kentucky, one of my Montana yearlings refused to grow for almost 2 years ... he obviously HATED the climate ... didn't do well, never looked "good". The spring before he was 3 he was still not much over 14 hands, but started growing and now as a coming 5 year old he is nearly 16 hands.

-- SFM in KY (sportpony@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Jessica, here is a site that might be of some help to you. It contains some info on care and nutrition. Best wishes! Gr owth and Nutrition

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.