# The String Test - Accurate?



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I'm referring to the one where you measure from the coronet band to the gap in the knee, then convert inches to hh. Have you used it on a young horse and found it accurate? What is the youngest/oldest horse you have tried it on? I tried it on a few previous horses. One was a yearling filly that tested 15.2hh. she was 15.1hh at 3, which was when I sold her. The next one was tested at 8 months old, he tested 16hh and was 15.3hh when I sold him at 3.

the latest ones were the three fillies that came from the auction. I'll list them separately:

1)my filly. Grullo, found out she's pure quarter horse, sire was 16hh, dam somewhere over 15hh. 5 months old, currently stands 12.2hh. string tests 16hh.

2) palmino filly, POA breeding, but grade.figure about 4 months old. stands 11.2hh, string tests 14.2hh.

3)sold as grade. Chestnut with lace edged high white stockings and blaze. About 6 months old. Stands 14hh, string tests 17.3hh. she is huge. We guessed maybe a paint x tb, but have no idea. she doesn't look like she has any draft in her at all, no dish to her face, elegant mover. Reminds me of a thoroughbred cross or warmblood.

It will be interesting to see how they mature. What are your experiences.


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

So far it's accurate when I measure my grown horses; you can also guestimate by adding 2 hands to a yearling, or 1 hand to a two-year old I think.

Lily strings to 16/16.1hh, and at 19 months is 15hh. It will be interesting to see where she is in the spring as a 2 y/o.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Don't have any growing youngsters right now but in the past the ones I had access to {weren't mine but a friends} when we "string tested" the mature height was within a inch.

Your "grade" that tests out to 17.3.... there are many "pure" Thoroughbreds of that height so she may not have any draft or warmblood in her but just be the cross you suspect...

Enjoy the wait and see game...aren't babies great!!


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

I've found it accurate. Usually best when horse is longer yearling.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I think Ri string tested at 15.3 and he finished out just a little over 16 hands. Last time I measured him (with the tape) he was 16.2 but I don't think he's quite that tall, think my boot may have pushed the tape too low....


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

My 8 month old filly string tests to 16. she currently is 12.3 at the wither, 13.1 at the hip.

Ive never used it before but I did it on my filly twice. And came out with 16 inches both times. My mom didnt believe me, and so I proved to her by measuring our other horses...

14-1/2 inches for Jasper. Hes 14.2.

15-1/4 inches for Nut. Hes 15.1.

15-1/2 inches for Rumor. Shes 15.2.

and Chilly is 15.0 hands. Measuring 15 inches exactly.

It's quite impressive. We'll see how it works out in the end. In 5 years...Ill let you know... ;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## shesocalifornia (Nov 24, 2013)

Yep it has worked on all my young horses to help predict height. It may be just a Tad off the younger the horse.  but it gives you a pretty good idea.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Well, in my experience of 1, it's accurate.....ish LOL.

Rafe string tested to 17hh even. He's coming 5 and stands 16.2, barely, with no signs that he's going to grow any more. He hasn't done much in the last entire year except to slowly eke out that single inch. He stood 16.1 for nearly a year before that.

Taz string tested to 16.1 and he's only standing I think 15.2 right now and he's coming 4. However, he's always grown slower than Rafe did (probably the difference in dams, Rafe had an awesome dam with plenty of good milk until I weaned him at 10 months; Taz had a crappy dam who dried up when he was 4 months old). Big Red seemed to do all his growing before he was 2. Taz didn't seem to _start_ growing until he was _over_ 2 LOL.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

We used the measurement test on two of our young ones years ago, later after they matured the test was 99.9% accurate.....

.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

I have found it to be very accurate. My horses have all string tested to the growth I measured.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I think it depends on the horse though, and what sort of environment (dam, what they were fed while growing, etc) they are in. So far I've string tested three horses. Two were my BO's colt Peppin, who string tested to be 17hh (BIG baby) as a weanling, and when I left a few months ago he was two years old and 16.2hh so its definitely possible that he'll hit 17hh. The other one tested was a QH colt that string tested 15hh even and at 4 years old he was 15hh.

I string tested my TB filly though, and while her bones say 15.2hh, she is 2 years old and BARELY 14hh. I personally don't see her gaining another 6 inches, but I guess its possible? She was orphaned, then neglected until she was 14 months old though, which means she probably WOULD have been 15.2hh if she had received proper care when she was younger.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Our 7 month old colt is 12.3hh and string tested to 15.3. We'll see in a few years (dam is 14.2 sire is 16.1).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

The test we have found to be extremely accurate is to measure from the center of the fetlock joint to the middle of the round elbow 'knob'. Then, hold the top spot (on the elbow) and reverse the string. The spot that was in the center of the ankle will go to the exact wither height that the horse will grow to. I have had a couple that did not reach that height at 5 and then at 6 or 7 they did. These were horses that we were sure had quit growing. We usually measure them the first time at 18 months old.


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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

I measured Henny when he was around 8-9 months old an he string tested to be 15 hh even. At almost 20 months, he's only 13.2 hh. I think his accident may have stunted his growth, as he's only grown an inch or so in the past year. It'll be interesting to see if he reaches 15 hh or not!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I string tested a gelding for a friend that tested to 16.3hh, but at 2.5 he was only 15.1hh. he grew to be 16.3hh in the next year, a hand and a half. I've also known horses that grew all the way past 5 years old. One gelding from and auction was a cute, balanced little quarter horse, 14.3hh and around 1000 lb, 5 years old. between 5 and 6 he gained 2 inches and 200lb in muscle.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Can somebody please draw a sketch or give me a link of how to do it properly? from the description I do not understand if I measured right.
I got 38-40 cm for the foreleg, which gives me around 14.3 hands. Which I do not believe! As he is already around 16.2 hands to my very bad measuring skills  
And as he is only 3.5 yrs old, he still has many years to grow (Latvian horses can grow in height up to age of 8 even) even though by now he should be close to his maximum height.. 
Either he has weird front legs, or I am very bad at understanding this test.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

How interesting! This isn't something I have ever heard of :O How cool.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would say its an 'ish' thing. Mostly it is reasonably accurate but the dark grey horse in my 'albums' that my boss bred from a 16.1 mare and a 16.2 stallion predicted to be 16.2 using that method. At 3yrs he was only 15.2 but by 5 years he was 17.2


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

alright, here goes nothing. Forgive the poor, quickly done sketch, and Cherie, sorry if I understood your post wrong.

pink line is the standard string test, measure from the coronet to the gap in the front of the knee, convert the length in inches directly to hands. 14 1/2 inches = 14.2hh.

Greenish line is Cherie's. Measure from middle of the fetlock to the point of the elbow(marked in blue), then, holding the line still on the point of elbow, pivot the fetlock hand until it is vertical. the new location of your hand(that was originally on the horses fetlock), will be the mature height of the withers on the animal in question.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Awesome!! Huge thanks  I have a task for tomorrow. Or I might crazy enough to try and do this in the dark! I am kinda curious to see, what it shows when done correct, and I know that I have 2 possibilities now - Either he stays the same height, just matures in mass, or he will sprout another inch or 2  Daddy was 16.2 hh (if I converted correctly) but I think Grand already is  

P.S. turns out I could find info on the dam too - she was about 16.2 hh too (both parents 165 cm)


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Make sure with the cannon bone measurement you follow the bone and not just straight down.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I've always just gone strait from the coronet to the knee joint?


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Well, the canon bone measurement gave me 16.9 inches.
The rotating of the measurement gave me 2-3 inches of possible growth. 
He seemed to be 165 (16.2 hh) atm. I wonder, does that mean he will outgrow his parents, or what


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## HoovesWithDaFur (Nov 22, 2013)

My Prodigy tested to be 15.3.. at five years old I believe he is 15 hh...


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

My 3 yr old string tested at 16-16.1 as a foal. 

At 3 1/2 he is 15.3. I guess it remains to be determined if he will get taller, but it wouldn't surprise me if he reached 16 hands. From what I understand they can still get taller at his age......right?


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Cherie said:


> The test we have found to be extremely accurate is to measure from the center of the fetlock joint to the middle of the round elbow 'knob'. Then, hold the top spot (on the elbow) and reverse the string. The spot that was in the center of the ankle will go to the exact wither height that the horse will grow to. I have had a couple that did not reach that height at 5 and then at 6 or 7 they did. These were horses that we were sure had quit growing. We usually measure them the first time at 18 months old.


This is the method I use, and it's been really accurate in my experience on Quarter Horse, Paint, and Standardbred breeding farms. Granted, I didn't have the opportunity to follow any of these horses past their 3 year old year, so I'll concede they could have potentially kept growing.

My current horse is 14.2hh at 2.5 years old and this method shows he should top out just shy of 15hh. His 3.5 year old full sibling strings to 15hh and is currently holding steady right there.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I tested on my both mares when they were long yearlings, and test ended up being very accurate. Even though most people didn't believe my qh (TINY back then) will get there (to 14'3").


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Dumb question, when you are using the method coronet to knee, I am assuming you measure to the middle of the knee gap, not just to the bottom of the gap?

I measured baby Hooey today, if I measured to the middle of the knee gap he should mature at 15.1H. He is getting stocky and fat so I imagine he is working up to another long lanky growth spurt


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

Also another dumb question, will Cherie's method work on a 2 1/2 year old horse?


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

EmilyJoy said:


> Also another dumb question, will Cherie's method work on a 2 1/2 year old horse?


The problem with string tests at 2 1/2 years is that even slight errors in measurement will throw your results way off.

It's pretty consistent across non draft breeds that at 1 1/2 years a horse is 95% of adult height, so you would expect about 3" of additional growth.
At 2 1/2 years, I've never had one gain more than about another 1".


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

Huh^^ Well I do hope she'll at least gain another 1", her knees still have a fairly large gap in them...


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## Surayya (Dec 7, 2011)

PaintHorseMares said:


> At 2 1/2 years, I've never had one gain more than about another 1".


Hehe, I'm the total opposite- I've never had one grow less than 2" after 2 & 1/2yrs.
Ie. At 2&1/2yrs my filly was 14.1hh- at 3yrs 15.1hh- at 4yrs 15.2&1/2hh- at 6yrs 15.3hh at 8yrs 16hh.
She has had quality nutrition since birth (I bred her), never gone without feed etc. so never had any growth spurts or been shorted, just steady growth until 8yrs  Her dam grew from just under 14.1hh to just over 14.3hh from rising 4yr to 5yrs. Another filly went from 13.2hh at 2yrs 7mths to just under 14.3hh at 3yrs 3mths (I cant see her going past her string test of 15-15.1hh), so plenty of horses (out side of Tb's), easily grow 3" or more after 2 & 1/2yrs in my experience


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## fastfillynz1 (May 5, 2012)

Hi I have done a fair bit of breeding and have always measured from point of elbow to ergot, doubled it and added 4" at 3mths old, always been spot on.:lol:


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