Difference in foals, some look so mature!

[Marty]

I was just saying on another thread how when Timmy was born, he was incredibly goofy looking.

I was so worried, I wasn't sure what was wrong with him.

I looked at many foal pages, and most did not look like my baby at all.

Thankfully, he turned out amazing, but it did take a while to see it.

Did you ever notice how some foals look so mature and perfect right at birth?

Mine don't. Mine look like babies.

Mine seem to take quite a while to unfoald.

And others, seem to look so very mature and even show ring ready at 30 minutes old.

Why do you think that is?

 

[CharmedMinis]

I have no idea why Marty, but you are so right!!! :new_shocked:

I've been thinking of starting a thread lately..........

Not only do my babies look like actual babies, but my 3 year olds do NOT look mature at all compared to some I see posted here. My Shimmer (in avatar) will be 3 years old at the end of this month, she still acts and looks very immature to me even though she's gorgeously put together.

Even if I was still breeding, I cannot imagine breeding her this year as a 3 year old, which really makes me wonder more than ever how people can breed 2 year old mares.

: My Karo will be 2 in May and I can't even begin to wrap my finger around the thought of someone breeding her that young. She's still so much a baby in many ways.

Maybe this is just my horses and the way they are maturing or maybe I am just too close to the ones born here and that's why I still see them as babies......... I don't know

:

But I totally understand Marty what you are saying. Heck my filly from last year is 10 months old now..........she looks about 3 months old to me

:

 

[sedeh]

I'm so glad you've said this Marty! My latest foal is the smallest one I've ever had and I worry somethings odd about him. He's definately not dwarfy.....has a good bite, well proportioned and I can see he has a neck when he stretches.....he just is tiny! Of course, he's also out of one of my smallest mares and it's her first. I did the cannon bone measurement and his was only 6 inches at birth......which would make him 26" as an adult?? The taller mares do seem to put out the more mature looking foals.

He's 3 days old in this pic.

I have to show this cute one of him trying to rear too! :bgrin

 

[maplegum]

I'm going to be goofy here.

:

I must be like our kids. My eldest is 13 years old and I still picture him as a new born baby in my arms. I can't come to terms with anything growing up! Not even me!!!

Is it that we don't want our baby 'horses' to grow up either? Maybe it's all in the eye of the beholder?

 

[Dona]

I'm so glad you've said this Marty! My latest foal is the smallest one I've ever had and I worry somethings odd about him. He's definately not dwarfy.....has a good bite, well proportioned and I can see he has a neck when he stretches.....he just is tiny! Of course, he's also out of one of my smallest mares and it's her first. I did the cannon bone measurement and his was only 6 inches at birth......which would make him 26" as an adult?? The taller mares do seem to put out the more mature looking foals.

He's 3 days old in this pic.

I have to show this cute one of him trying to rear too! :bgrin

That little guy is simply adorable!

:

But...he looks like he's "fully cooked"....just not very big! :bgrin

I think the tiny ones look more like little stuffed animals...so we tend to think they look more like "babies" for longer.

:

 

[Minimor]

I always think the little ones look mature sooner. My babies are generally all taller (21 to 24 inches at birth, maturing around 36" or 37") and since they seem to attain most of their height in the first 14-18 months, they are fast growing and this makes them look very gawky and immature. Some of them look very nice at birth--those that don't have legs all over the place!--but then they go all growthy & just look like big gangly babies for a long time.

This is okay--I've always liked the slower maturing ones, even with the Morgans. Our yearlings always looked like yearlings. We'd see some out in the showring that looked so mature--yearlings that you would have guessed were 3 year olds. Those mature looking yearlings generally grew into very heavy built horses at maturity. I know breeders who sold off stallions because their foals were too slow to mature. They found the fast maturing babies the easy ones to sell--that's what people wanted for showing.