Big Babies!

[amadeo]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#We've got two babies-- a colt and a filly, same dad, that are going to be absolutely HUGE.  The colt (Troy) came out of a 15.3hh mare (who died, unfortunately, a few days after he was born), and was by a 17.1hh stallion (Cattrick II-- very pretty boy) and he's already 14.2+hh. He was born late June '04. Only nine months old! Reba (filly) was born out of a 17.1hh mare but looks WAY more like her dad (jet black, gorgeous wavy mane) and she's not far behind, even though she's only about a month younger she's around 14.1 or 14.2hh, with huge joints to boot. It's gotten to the point where the average height of the horses at our barn is 17hh, that I begin to think that a 16.1hh horse is too small. Not a single mature horse there is under 16.2hh (with the exception of the two ponies, and the twins due to the twinning effect will be smaller than normal).#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#They're going to be fun to break! #ed_op#IMG src="http://forums.equestrianconnection.com/richedit/smileys/Shocked/1.gif"#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Hev339]

lol Amadeo, I totally understand!
Scooter was born at the end of May (27th) of last year, and he is 15.1hh right now, about the same height as the 2 year old he shares a paddock with. hehehe. I can't wait until he's old enough to ride.

[Leena]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Same story here !#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[SPYDER]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#hev339 ....Sounds like you are going to have some big babies. I have found that if they have not reached 15.00 hh by 1 year old they don't usually get much over 16.00 hh.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Amadeo....Yours have large joins but that does not necessarily mean big size wise. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Leena]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I am confused here. My colt is 14.2 at witter and 14.3 at butt, nearly 10 months old. Now Dam is 15 hands and Sire is 15.3 hands.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Are we still looking for over 16 hands ?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Leena#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Patricia]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#It has been my experience that yes there is a very good change of attaining over16H.  My two fillies are about a month apart and are over 14.2H....They will be a year in Apr/May.  The sire of my filly is a 17.2H imported Hanoverian...the dam is a solid big boned 16H Trakehner/Norman cross.  The filly has big joints too and they usually grow into their body.  The other filly is out of a Percheron/TB and the sire is a Polish Arab...I believe 15.2H.  She will easily attain over 16H....she is a month older than my homebred and is a slight bit finer in bone was side by side in the paddock it is hard to tell them apart.  Another filly that I bred a few years back also Hanoverian was about 14.1H at age 1 and she finished at 16.2H.  I think it is all about genetics...even is sire or dam may be smaller you should investigate their ancestors. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[SPYDER]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Good Luck Patricia#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Big studs do not necessarily equate to big babies.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Leena]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Thanks Patricia. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#As for genetics, dam's sire was 16 hands. It is canadian breed so this is why I am quite surprised by the size and lenght of his legs.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I am very happy with him and his marvelous character. His dam is a fantastic broadmare, producing better than her, lot of milk, lot of everything.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Her bloodlines don't really show horses taller than 15.1 hands; so it is on the Sire's line.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Leena#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Hev339]

Yeah, Scoot's gonna be a big one. His dam is 17.2hh and dad is 17.1 I believe...didn't do it on purpose, just happened to find 2 awesome horses to breed.
And Scooter is a great little guy, such personality, really cute and loves to learn, so having him big isn't so bad.

[Patricia]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Spyder...No where do I say a big sire give big babies...LOL!  Nice try!  I said based on my experience and to also look to the dam and sire's pedigree/ancestry for maturity size.  Simple genetics.  I have had the joy and experience of foaling...gosh lost count maybe 7 offspring-all warmblood crosses.  All easily matured over 16H+.  In two cases the dam was under 16H.  I feed for slow steady growth.  Although, in once case my colt was 15H at 9 months even after I cut his feed program to a handful am and pm.  Definitely a gentle giant type.  Very large bone/joints and very gangly....he grew into his body.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I have seen some Canadians that hit the 16H+ mark.  Very solid, nice moving horse....could pass for a Warmblood look-a-like.  I was breeding for re-sale and the magic height that most people look for is 16.2H  It would be nice if my current filly stayed a little smaller....I'd consider keeping her....as I am only 5'.  I decided to not advertise her yet as she looks like a wooly mamooth...LOL!  The longer I hold off the more I am considering holding on to her.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Kobau]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've seen a few Canadians reach 16 hh and get a lil taller even. Same with my morgans, they say the height range for the breed is 14.2-15.2 hh but now it seems like more and more are in the 15-16 hh range.I myself have a Morgan gelding that is a solid 16 hh, his sire was 16 hh his dam was 15.1 hh.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I do find that you have to look back at grandsire and granddams also to get a good idea of height that may come from the cross..#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Leena]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#For Canadians or Morgan, do you think better food could be a factor ? Those horses went through terrible conditions in their years since arrival in Canada.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#They can dig out tree's root, eat very little and drink very little to survive. With all good hay, grain and supplements, I am thinking maybe there is something there ????#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Leena#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Morgan1981]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I bought my boy as a 5 month old and he was already 14.2hh. At 10 months he was 15.2hh  As a 2.5 year old he stood 17hh and now as a 6 year old he is 17.3hh and still growing.  His mother was 17.1hh and daddy was 17hh.  He is my horse-a-saurous...lol  Watch out for joint probs with the big ones.  They can be more trouble then anything.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Kobau have you found that the bigger Morgans are not as typey? It's been a long time since I've been involved with the purebreds, but at that point that's how it seemed to be, that the bigger they were, the less real Morgan "type" they had.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#