# My QH/Paint is very tiny?



## Ricci (Jun 30, 2011)

Hes coming up 5 years old in June and hes so dang small. I'm wondering how much longer should I give him to fill out before hes done? I haven't actually measured him but he is about 14 hands but barely. I have the mare and she is a well defined QH with a big butt and broad body and a halter favorite. 
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o80/desy007/littleaspen3.jpg (this is a terrible picture I know, but I just want an example of her body shape. 

I wanted to use him as a speed horse but I'm not sure if he has the power. The stud was a very large horse over 15h with a very nice conformation. 
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o80/desy007/pt0125lg3.jpg

Aspen has a small hind and a small chest. I thought he would fill out but he has yet to do so. He also has a tiny head and a short body. He still probably a little filling out to do but I'm not guessing much. What do you think? Why might be be so small? 

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o80/desy007/0623111154a.jpg
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o80/desy007/littleaspen2.jpg
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o80/desy007/littleaspen1.jpg

Oh and he has been vet checked. He is perfectly healthy and sound. What do you think he would be best suited for based on his body? I really wanted to make him a barrel horse but I'm not sure if he can.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Don't give up yet...some are just slow to mature. Our youngest mare didn't get broad in the chest/shoulders until between 6 and 7. I think she's pretty much finished now at 8. She is a leaner horse than our others, but she's plenty strong and fast.


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

Genetics can really throw you for a loop sometimes. He looks a lot like his mom. I'd say he got most of her genetics with dad's coloring.

To me, if I wanted a show-quality western pleasure 5 y/o, I'd have to pass on him. You want a speed horse, I'd say he might be alright. Not a lot of power, but those smaller horses can be surprisingly quick and agile. What he'd lose on speed he might be able to make up with turning ability. But idk much about speed stuff. xD


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## RoosHuman (Dec 27, 2011)

My QH mare is 14.1 hands high. She has all of the features of a well bred Quarter, just pint sized.


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## Crimsons Clover (Mar 30, 2012)

If you're hoping for more height you wont get it, the growth plates are fused at 3 years old, sometimes at four. But the horse doesn't get out of the "long and lanky" stage of adolescence until about 5 or 6 so he could certainly bulk up. Remember though that you use it or loose it, so if you want more muscle mass to your horse try a training regiment that focuses on muscle building. Examples of that are riding in water or deep sand, or endurance training starting at the walk and building up to a full gallop over the course of several hours.


Either way he's cute 
And probably very strong.


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## soenjer55 (Dec 4, 2011)

My arab is 14.3, and around 900 lbs. I can push him all over the place on the ground (I'm 130 lbs and around 5'4''), but he's a beast. When we let him out with the geldings, he chases them around, with his chin practically on their butts- they can never lose him, because he's so quick and agile. He's pretty dang fast, too, but his agility is his real attribute. And he has balance like a cat- He's reared on one foot, flipped backwards and twisted mid-air to land on his feet. I attached a picture of two of my horses, Envi (the arab) is 14.3 and Sombre (quarab who ran 15/16 second poles and barrels before he was retired. He was faster than he was athletic, and when given time to pick up his speed, flew.) is 15.2. My other horse is also small, 14 hands, but he's built like a tank, and not quite as fast, so he doesn't really apply, lol.
Your boy looks like he's going to be able to sprint well, and he looks very agile. Give him a few years to fill out, and I think you'll have a great little horse for barrel racing.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree with PHM, some of them don't start to really bulk up until they are older. My QH Denny kept getting bigger and bigger (not height but muscle) until he was about 9.

This is what he looked like at 4









And this is what he finished out as









Just give your guy some time. The things that will help more than anything is to make sure he's getting plenty good quality feed and consistent, proper work.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

smrobs said:


> I agree with PHM, some of them don't start to really bulk up until they are older. My QH Denny kept getting bigger and bigger (not height but muscle) until he was about 9.
> 
> This is what he looked like at 4
> 
> ...


If you know the lineage of the horse, sometimes you can predict (or be prepared) for the type of growth to expect. In the case of our youngest mare, being slow to mature was very common for offspring of her grandsire (Supreme Model) so we expected that she would be growing/filling out beyond 6 years.
It can also go the other way, too. Our mare, Lady, was almost the size of her dame (halter body/Impressive line) at 3 years and her half sister was the same (to be honest, I had never seen such filled out 3 yr old fillies before).


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## BarrelRacingLvr (Feb 26, 2012)

Have you had him since birth or did you buy him? If you bought him do you know if he got the nutrients he was supposed to get as a baby? Because if a young horse doesn't get quality feed when younger it can stunt their growth. 

Or he could just be a late bloomer.....My guy is 7 this year and he filled out even more this winter and he is a big horse already. Is their a horse somewhere on the parents sides that was short? It could be a throwback of them. We used to have a broodmare that was oh.....14.1-2 if that and she was bred to a stud that was 14.3-15h, well the baby matured to be 16h which was an obvious throwback somewhere. 

So just have to wait and see what his body does. In the time being start him on the barrels...just because he is short doesn't mean he can't do it and be good at it. There is a lady we know that has a mare who is 14.1hh that she is winning the 1D and pro rodeos....so don't count out the little horses.


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