# 2 year old Quarter horse ,need some help!



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

He's still catching up on groceries, he's still quite thin. Growing horses tend to go in cycles, fill out, shoot up, get thin, fill out, shoot up, get thin and that cycle repeats on and off until they're 3 or 4 when they start to slow down a bit. I wouldn't expect him to ever be 15 hands, not from the lines you were quoted and not from the shape I'm guessing he was in. He looks a bit potty in his belly, when's the last time he was dewormed? Keep feeding him up and don't let him drop a bunch of weight through winter and he'll probably come out a bit larger in spring, just in time to have a growing spurt.


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## Pebblingpony99 (Nov 1, 2015)

He was just dewormed about 2 weeks ago . He was really thin when I got him here , he's gained a whole lot of weight .. He gets access to higher quality hay 24/7 when he's not on pasture .. He hasn't lost any more he's only gaining .. I'm just worried about his size ... I was hoping he was going to be a nice riding horse for me once he gets older. but he doesn't seem like he's going to get there


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

He may still be a good riding horse, he just probably won't be real tall. A lot is going to depend on how long he was underfed (being polite for starved), his growth may or may not be permanently stunted if it was for a long time. It's critical to feed correctly when a horse is still young so they can develop properly. Since he's only 2, that means he was underfed during some of the most critical growing and developing time.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

The Dun It horses can be small. And he looks like he is going to stay pony sized, unless he has a major growth spurt which is unlikely at this point. All you can do is support him the best you can and hope he will grow. Some horses can be late bloomers. I have had geldings grow until they were nine- but it was more a last inch in the withers and filling out.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Pebblingpony99 (Nov 1, 2015)

That's what I was thinking .. because the man I bought him from said he bought him from a "breeder"..so there is no clue on how long he wasn't getting fed .. I just don't want to end up with him being 13 hands , I would probably look giant on him.. And I don't like the thought of selling him . I was hoping for more development since its been around 6/7 months now , I need a horse 14 hands and up with a stockery build .. And it's hard imagining him reaching 13.3 without being petite


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

I agree he looks wormy...and he's still too skinny. Have you had a fecal done, and has a vet seen him? It would be worth it.

My friend had a Hollywood Dunit mare and she was a tank but a short tank , she was 14.3 maybe, maybe even less but you would never call her a small horse. 

The people who sold you her could be lying and without papers there's no way to know...she looks more like a large yearling than a 2 year old...did they know when she foaled? Did they have her parents? If not where did they get her?

Just edited below after seeing you last post which crossed with mine. If he bought him from a "breeder", ask him which one. Breeders can get you papers if the horse is purebred. It could all be a load of bunk though.

I imagine that with proper care, in a couple of years you'll have a totally different horse...let's hope so anyhow!


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## Pebblingpony99 (Nov 1, 2015)

He was just recently wormed ..: he has seen a vet recently as well when he was gelded .. They only told me he was 2 years old (previous owners )they they didn't have much information on him ..


EponaLynn said:


> I agree he looks wormy...have you had a fecal done, and has a vet seen him? It would be worth it.
> 
> My friend had a Hollywood Dunit mare and she was a tank but a short tank
> 
> ...


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

Maybe he wasn't wormed for the right kind of worms, or the right wormer...and if he was not wormed for a long time, it might not be enough to do the trick, a fecal will tell you what's going on and I think it's worth doing.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Pebblingpony99 said:


> That's what I was thinking .. because the man I bought him from said he bought him from a "breeder"..so there is no clue on how long he wasn't getting fed .. I just don't want to end up with him being 13 hands , I would probably look giant on him.. And I don't like the thought of selling him . I was hoping for more development since its been around 6/7 months now , I need a horse 14 hands and up with a stockery build .. And it's hard imagining him reaching 13.3 without being petite


I actually took in a boarder who looked like I'm guessing he looked when you got him. Same kind of deal, starved early and very short. He was maybe 30 months when he got here and he looked like a horse skeleton with hide draped over it. College kid bought him as a weaner and then promptly left for college and dumped the care of the horse on dad who doesn't like horses. Dad told drunken fool hired hand to take care of the horse, so DFHH throws him out on pasture with a big round bale. The horse wasn't even 6 mos. old at the time. So he was starved a very long time. Compared to my yearling (who admittedly was tall) he looked like a Shetland. We fed him up and he gained weight and looked great but not more than 13.1 hh. When he first came I told the college kid I made no guarantees about getting him through winter but I would try. He filled out and started growing and started looking like a really cute, but short horse.


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## Pebblingpony99 (Nov 1, 2015)

He still has weight to gain .. He has gained over 100 pounds threw the summer (he was weighed) .. I'm not to worried about weight, because Iknow he's getting properly fed and gaining .. I'm pretty sure the whole "he is threw holly wood dun it" is a lie they told me.. I'm not even positive he is quarter horse .. When he was bought we also bought a second colt as well( a friend bought the second colt) ,. He looks more quarter horse . And they were supposed to have the same dam .. But he is a lot smaller than mine


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

EponaLynn said:


> My friend had a Hollywood Dunit mare and she was a tank but a short tank , she was 14.3 maybe, maybe even less but you would never call her a small horse.


I have a mare who is Shining Spark, Doc Bar, Peppy San, and Poco Bueno bred and she is the biggest little horse I've ever seen. Even when I bought her, and she was underweight, she was a little tank of thing. My helper is probably 5'9" and Goldie takes up her leg just fine. I wouldn't worry about him being short, if he builds up and fills out like I think he should. 









Goldie is the buckskin and she's meeting Cloney for the first time. She wasn't skinny, but she had some sharp points on her that I prefer to have rounded out. Cloney is 15'3", you can see the difference in height. But she is a SOLID little mare now and muscled up really well. I wouldn't hesitate to let my DH ride her, he's about 6' and she'd take up his leg just fine.

Oh, the bay dun next to Goldie is a coming yearling at that time. Just to give you an idea of the different blood lines and height they produce.


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

What exactly are you feeding?

Also, as someone else mentioned it would be wise to have the vet do a fecal count, to make sure the dewormer got everything. If the horse was carrying a big worm load, a standard dose might not have been enough. Also, different dewormers work for different types of worms.


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## Pebblingpony99 (Nov 1, 2015)

He just had all of this done when he was gelded (as stated above he was at the vet)he had a large dose of wormer from the Vet himself ..I have a fecal count done on my horses regularly ... He is being fed properly that's not a concern.. , I'm only worried about his growth .. But thank you !  .. His belly isn't currently like that . Those pictures aren't from today 




enh817 said:


> What exactly are you feeding?
> 
> Also, as someone else mentioned it would be wise to have the vet do a fecal count, to make sure the dewormer got everything. If the horse was carrying a big worm load, a standard dose might not have been enough. Also, different dewormers work for different types of worms.


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

Different types of feed can do different things... A diet high in protein can aid in growth and muscle development, while a diet high in fat adds fat, obviously.

I don't understand why you seem so hesitant to answer a simple question? I only asked, so I could offer you advice if maybe I there are other things you could be feeding to aid in his growth, not to criticize you. But nevermind :icon_rolleyes:


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Give him some time. I rescued a 16 month old filly who was under 12hh when I started feeding her up; granted she was an orphan and emaciated, then got violently ill, then was injured- so she had many reasons to be stunted, but I truly didn't believe she'd ever be full sized. I figured maybe she'd reach 14hh, but maybe not even that- even though she was a racing bred TB. I string tested her to be 15.2hh but I said "NO WAY!" 

Well, at 20 months old she was 13.1hh. I said 'ok, well maybe she will reach 14hh.' But then she stalled out and didn't grow for a heck of a while.

At 24 months, she was 13.2hh. I said "no, she'll never be horse sized' and when I sold her, I made sure she went to a woman who wanted a small horse.

A year later, at 3, I got an update on that little filly, and she was a whopping 15.1hh!!! O.O Her owner said she stayed short for a good while then it was like her body just suddenly realized she wasn't starving any more and it was high time to grow- and she shot up like a giraffe. So much for a little horse!

As it is right now, the weight thing isn't a worry for him- nor is filling out. Kenzie, my filly, was the scrawniest, saddest little thing you'd ever see when I got her. She went through a few stages where she actually backtracked as her body tried to grow; she was a HARD keeper. But eventually she caught up, given the right food. I found that a few times her belly looked huge but it was really because she was trying to grow and her proportions were all wonky. I got fecals regularly and she ate alfalfa and good quality jiggs costal hay.

Now your boy may never be a 15hh tank, but if he's even on the upper 13 to low 14hh side and stocky with straight legs, I don't see why he can't carry an adult. Try string testing him; my test was surprisingly accurate!

Here are a few pictures of her progress. keep on feeding him well and you'll see- he'll probably turn out just fine.

when I took her in: under that coat she was NOTHING but bones.


























12.2hh 18 months after a horrific injury that nearly cut off her ear. SHe was terribly thin and still gaining after emaciation. Notice how UGLY she is (sorry girl!). There's hope at this age- they're just so gangly at this age even without emaciation!










13.1hh, 20 months She was too thin but I was POURING calories into her- she was just trying really hard to grow. Notice her potbelly despite a clean fecal.


















(she LOOKS tall here but don't be decieved! I'm barely 4'10. She's 24 months, 13.2 here)



















I hope all of those help give you some perspective if this is your first time rehabbing a baby. It's so different with them because they're trying to grow at the same time and their bodies go into a funk. Keep on keeping on! He could very well have been a long yearling rather than actually 2 when you got him, or they could have lied entirely.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

He may have been a coming two year old and they embellished.

Horses with reining and cowhorse lines are not usually big at two - Or ever, really. A 15h reiner is a BIG reiner. He, however, definitely looks younger to me - Maybe just because of how thin he is. I would definitely have the vet do an exam on him and be making weight gain a big priority. Maybe after he gets up to a healthy weight he'll look like a real two year old. 

Here are some pictures of what I would consider an "average" 2yr old for the lines you described, for comparison. These first two pictures I deliberately picked because they aren't all groomed up and had professional photos taken - Because a lot of reining barns do that to their sale colts to make them look bigger and more grown up than they are.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

The photos didn't show up for me, I'll try again later.

But try the string test. Where you measure from the coronet band to mid-knee. That actually worked for me. It said my foal would be 16.1, which was surprising........his mom is only 15.1, but by golly, my gelding is aged 5 now and is at least 16 hands. So it really does seem to work.

I found a link for you, I used method #2. (I never quite understood how you were supposed to get a finished height from method #1.)

But in my experience, #2 should give you a pretty good estimate of his height, probably within an inch.

Behind the Bit: How big will a foal or young horse get?

Like others said, height isn't everything......I weigh about 200 lbs and used to ride a 14.3 Mustang. But he was built like a brick. So it's more about bone structure than just height. You can have a tall horse that is fine boned and not a good weight carrier and a short horse that is strong like an ox. I look more for solid bones and feet than height. But I am 5'6", so not super tall. If I were 6' I would probably be more concerned about riding a tall horse.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Pebblingpony99 said:


> He is being fed properly that's not a concern.. , I'm only worried about his growth


Growth has an awful lot to do with diet, so if you're worried about growth, diet is absolutely a relevant concern.

Regardless of previous starvation, it's best not to 'feed 'em up' to grow quicker - more risk of OCD's then. Just well balanced nutrition & healthy diet.

He looks younger than 2yo to me, but being starved, who knows.


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