# How tall do you think this horse will get?



## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

At 3, you won't get much more, especially if her parents aren't tall. The string test isn't very accurate after about yearling stage. Teeth" Yep, they don't start losing baby teeth til about 2 1/2. One set that year, next pair a year later, and etc. And I have a coming 7 year old that still whinnies like a foal. It happens.


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## NRW (Feb 26, 2013)

squirrelfood said:


> At 3, you won't get much more, especially if her parents aren't tall. The string test isn't very accurate after about yearling stage. Teeth" Yep, they don't start losing baby teeth til about 2 1/2. One set that year, next pair a year later, and etc. And I have a coming 7 year old that still whinnies like a foal. It happens.


So she probably won't make 14.2 from 14 or 14.1? 

I'm confused as to why people say they will grow until they're 5-7 years old then. I don't expect her to grow to 15 hands or more but I was hoping for another inch or two ?
I think the parents were both around 14.3, she's cutting bred. The sire was apparently very stout but I haven't seen him or pics of him. She's not very stout, but I assumed it was because she was young, she's not gangly either though, she has a frame that seems like she could be stout. I think she's a little underweight right now though.

She's a very nice looking little mare besides being so small, I'm really hopeful she would grow a little in the next year or so.


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

She will very likely bulk up more. I'm not saying she WON'T get a little taller, just that it isn't likely to be very MUCH taller. MAYBE that inch, but likely a little less.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Not sure if we are all talking about the same "string test" but the one I use is accurate even on adult horses. I've actually used it on my mare to double check I measured the right place on my foal and it was accurate on my 16 yr old mare. 

If you take a tape measure and measure from the middle of the knee to the coronet band and turn the inches into hands......well, maybe an internet link can explain it better. 

http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/info/stringtesting.html 

I use method #2. I never could determine if I was supposed to use the elbow callous or the elbow bone with method #1 so I can't vouch for that method. But I believe #2 works well for horses of just about any age other than an extremely young foal. 

I was measuring about 16.1 on my foal with the string test at about 6 months of age and he is 16 hands right now at age 4 1/2. I don't know if he will make that extra inch or it it is just my error, but considering both of his parents are about 15.1, I will call the string test surprisingly accurate as I had no idea he would grow so tall. 

The reason I think it is hard to estimate down to the exact inch (at least for me) is that you are dealing with 1/4 of an inch an you don't always know exactly where the exact middle of the knee is. 

It doesn't hurt to try it and see what you get.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Found another link:

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

According to this, at age 3 they are 98-100% of full height. 

So my own gelding at age 4 1/2 should be pretty much officially done growing. 

Sometimes it's not just height but build as well. I used to ride a 14.3 gelding that even in my less-than-fit shape carried me perfectly well. He was broad as a barn and took up a lot of leg. I am over 200 lbs and normally wouldn't ride something that short (due to my weight) but this guy was BUILT. 

I wonder how long a horse can grow in bone and hoof size? Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I personally would like my gelding to go up a shoe size but at his age I'm not sure if he will. 

Any opinions on how long the feet develop in size?


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

I have no advice for if she'll grow or not, but I don't think 14.1 is a horribly unreasonable height for someone who is 5'6, depending on the stockiness/bones of the horse! My mare is 14.1/2 ish, 930 pounds and I look fine on her and I'm 5'9.  

At 3 years old I would expect her to fill out a fair bit more, although it really varies from horse to horse. I've also heard that QH's can grow slower/later than other breeds, but I'm not sure about the accuracy of that. We have a 4 year old QH at the barn who seems to shoot upwards every time I see him. :lol:


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Quarter Horses grow up until they are about 7 and then they grow out until they are about 10 so it is possible that you might get an inch or two out of her. My 8 year old has finally stopped growing up I think. He was 16 hands when I thought he was done at 5 but I re-measured him over the summer because people kept saying he was much bigger than that. He measured at 16.2 1/2. His mother by the way, is 14.3. his father was 15.3.

Some of it is in what you feed the and some is just plain genetics. No promises on the growing but yes, it can still happen....


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Just to add to the height thing. Many trainers are men that are nearing 6 feet or even more and those reiners and some of the WP horses that are being shown by them are 14 hands.

Just look at the horses John Lyons and Clinton Anderson are always working with, they are short, I would guess 14.2ish... But they don't look small with the men riding them....


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## PSNapier (Oct 23, 2012)

My old QH grew from 14.3 to 15.1-2 in his 5-7th year. It just depends on the horse, of course... how tall are her sire and dam?

I'm 5'6 as well and I do fine on 13.2hh (on a good day with me in a ditch LOL) Fjord/QH, so I'd be willing to bet you'll be fine on her.


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

I suspect you may get another 1-2" out of her. In my Experience{having AQHA/APHA horses},while most the growth they do is filling out it is not unusual for them to still grow upward till 5-6 yrs. Had a young stud that was 14.3hh what seemed like forever:shock:. I string tested him said he would make 15hh,well he did finally, but took till he was 5yrs old. Gelding I recently sold was 6yrs he had grown just over inch the past year,have several friends with similar experiences of their horses growing up to those ages too:wink:. I currently have a 2yr old that I am expecting will be late maturing,as his parents were. He is the 15-15.1hh range now but confident he'll probably make 15.3hh + As for string testing yes it is accurate for horse of her age:wink:


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

String test is accurate for all horses past short yearling age.

Ergot to elbow, elbow to withers.


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## NRW (Feb 26, 2013)

I attached a picture of her, I think she looks nicer in person in my opinion, this was just a screen shot from a video the seller sent to me. She doesn't hold her head that high, and doesn't have an ewe neck like that picture makes it seem. She's a little straight through the hocks, but not sickle hocked. I think her leg bone is nice, she's not tied in at the knee(if she is it's very slight). But does need some weight, her poor line shows a little and she looks like she should be more muscled than she is. 
I haven't had a chance to measure the circumference of her cannon bones, but I bb b do plan to as soon as I get the chance. 

The seller said that she wasn't her dam's first foal, and the person he bought her from claims the dam's foals would grow quite a bit between ages 4-5. 
I asked the seller how tall he thought the sire and dam were when he saw and he said 15.2 on the side and mare was 14.3-15hh... The person he bought the horse from passed away he says. 

Also attached a pic of me on my mare that passed away, she was 14.3 ish. But very stout...(she had impressive in her bloodlinne, was n/h...I believe she died from an hypp attack because she was in great health otherwise, it was very unexpected). For reference to imagine me on a 14.1hh horse...I think I'd be a little big on one. 

It is nice to see most of you have had some similar experiences with horses growing until they're 5-6 years old!


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

I think she will grow some more as she gets a little older.

My TWH gelding grew an inch during his 7th year, from 15.2 to 15.3 hands. He's 8 y/o now and has filled out some width wise, too. 

I've always heard that horses will grow height and/or width wise until they are between 7 and 8 y/o.


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