# miniature x sheltland



## cilla (Mar 20, 2013)

Hi just wondering i have a full sheltland 40inchs in foal to a 29inch miniature stallion she is due end of april. Has anyone out there breed this cross before. If so can you tell me what size the foal ended up at and how long was the mare in foal.


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## atotton (Mar 20, 2013)

I my 2 1/2 yr old filly is out of a 38" mare and sired by a 30" stud. She is currently 32.5" The first picture is the stallion.


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## cilla (Mar 20, 2013)

She is lovely thanks for that. Cant wait for my babies.


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## Eagle (Mar 20, 2013)

There is an old saying

Colour like dad, size like mum.


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## atotton (Mar 20, 2013)

Oops, here are the pictures.


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## AnnaC (Mar 20, 2013)

When I started breeding 'mini' horses in the early 1990's most of my mares were British Shetlands and between 32 and 38 inches (one was 40") our original stallion was a spotty mini at 32", since then we still have a few of the original girls, plus of course the daughters and g/daughters of the original stock, but our stallions (four of them) are now all 30" or less.

Regarding your questions, most of the foals born were 'small', but some grew to the size of their dams and some stayed nearer the size of their sires - the same is true of those born more recently to the smaller stallions. Several of my mares bred several times to the same stallion would produce 'larger' foals one year and smaller ones other years. There is just no telling the 'end' size on a regular basis, it just depends how the 'genes fall' at conception! The length of a pregnancy - they normally average the 11 months, most of ours have foaled between 320 and 340 days although we have had a couple nearly catch us out by foaling in the early 290's!!


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## chandab (Mar 20, 2013)

My crosses haven't been that much difference. my first filly is now come 4 years old, sire 31", dam 35.5", and filly is exactly in the middle at 33.25" (her permanent papers measurement). Last years foals, not as big of a difference in the parent size, but I do have one tiny foal out of the mix. Three 38" mares bred to 35.75" stallion; the boys are 1 to 3 weeks apart in age, the first two are almost the same size, number 3 is a good 2" shorter than his brothers, he was tinier at birth and is still quite a bit smaller than the other two. [i don't have any current measurements, only that they haven't been buried by the huge snow drifts around the yard and corrals.]


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## Gone_Riding (Mar 20, 2013)

My mare is out of a 50% Arenosa (type of Shetland) mare. She's 38" and so is her mom. However, her mom's mom is only 34" and that mare was out of a 38" mare.

I bred my mare to a 32" stud in hopes of a 35" mini.


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## eagles ring farm (Mar 20, 2013)

Our 5 year old mare - is out of a 37" mare by a 29.5" stallion and at 5yrs old she is 33.5"


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## paintponylvr (Mar 21, 2013)

I don't have any comparisons with shetlands/minis. Actually, I have one. I had a small Shetland mare that was 37" at the withers. All 3 of her foals by the stallion below (45"), measured 37 - 37 1/2" at the withers. The one mare that I kept has been bred to a petite 40" stallion and we are expecting her 3rd foal from this cross. The first is actually smaller than the mare but built like her, the 2nd is now 2 and slightly taller but built more like her petite sire at the moment. As pairs, the first would drive with his dam and the 2nd with her sire.

BUT I have some with other ponies & full size horses.

Sired by our 45" shetland stallion - who himself was sired by a 45" stallion and out of a mare closer to 40".

we had 5 fillies out of a 48" Hackney pony mare. They varied slightly - with both the first mare and the last mare being the smallest @ 11.2 (1 +" taller than their sire... ) and the 3 in-between being the same height as their dam.

We had 5 siblings out of a 13.3 hh, horse-style mare. We didn't know her actual breeding but she had an awesome walk & sometimes was pacey. With her neck injury (s), we didn't regularly ride her - becoming less as she got older. All of her foals were very large at birth (scary!), slowing down a lot as they got older. The last colt was a sand eater and had to be euthanized @ 2 months of age - so we didn't see how he matured, The other 4 have/had been measured by their individual owners and all were right around 13 hh.

I was VERY excited to add the Arabs. I found the first mare - by accident! She was rather petite and small at `14.1. I was told that I'd get an "average" of about 13 hh ponies. Well, the 1st one arrived and once he figured out to get "growing" - he was taller/jwider than his dam when I sold him. At that time I was riding him and several times, I've regretted selling my ez keeper, 1/2 arab riding pony. Though the mare was small herself, she had much larger horses behind her in her pedigree and I thought that she would produce larger. Her purebred arabian foals have all been slightly taller than her, but not more robust. I didn't however, breed her again to see if my theory would be proven thru multiple breedings. The 2nd mare was larger, heavier framed/more substancial and also had larger horses behind her (at least in height - not sure in the bulk/substance area)... With two foals by the same stallion, she followed what everyone told me the Arab crosses would do - both her fillies stayed at about 13 hh but they were very wide and substancial. One sold as a weanling the other after she was a 3 yr old started under saddle and ground driving in harness. Both are ponies owned and ridden by adults - thought they are smaller than myself. The last Arab cross we did with this stallion was out of a smaller mare w/ some different breeding. She had no other foals and at this point probably won't have more (with us). Her colt by the same stallion is growing slowly - he turned 4 in Oct. He hasn't been officially started under saddle - however, he's been lounged some, had ground work and been saddled and "backed". Even had a 7 yr old boy tool around the round pen a couple of times. I haven't measured him recently, last measured 1 1/2 yrs ago at 12.1. I've been disappointed that he wasn't larger - but he's nicely framed (rather wide like his dam). He has grown, but don't know that he'll hit 13 hh. His dam is 13.3 & w/ my size, I spent a lot of time riding her for a couple of years. If he got as tall as her - he'd make a very fancy riding pony for an adult - right now, he's a decent size for a teenager that isn't too tall...

We had some other foals, would have to do another write up...

But my conclusion is that it really does vary and you just don't know and can get some serious surprises! Even with two ponies that I own that are full sisters - they are built different and move different. I had them measured with my stick at different heights but when I had them measured officially at a show last year - they both measured right at 40" - catching me by SURPRISE... I also feel that health, environment (care and training) and weather can affect some growth patterns... I have actually had more colts that didn't thrive or do well than fillies, but that's a whole 'nother discussion!


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