heights at birth/mature height

[orin]

What heights were your foals at birth and what height do you expect them to mature to?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I have a 5 year old mare who was 17.5" at birth, 25" at 6 1/2 months and 27" at 1 year who is now 28 - 28.5". Her canon bone measured 7.5" at birth.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I personally think the estimation charts are for averaging. What I mean is, both of my foals were born WAY overdue with overgrown hooves. Jewel was 20" with 6 3/4 cannon. At almost 3 years she is still 30.50 inches close to her sire's size, dam is 33". Skye, same dam, was 24" at birth and 7 3/4 " cannons, her sire is 35". She has already grown so much at only 3 weeks that I know she will be 35 to 36 inches.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

My filly was 34 inches as a yearling and 34 and half at 2 years old. I'm not sure what she was before. When her Sire was a yearling though, he was 20 inches. I don't think Éowyn (my two year old) will grow much more since her father was so small, and she'll be three soon.

 

[Jean_B]

I measure from the groove in the middle of the knee to the top of the hoof (coronet band) with a piece of string pulled tight between both hands. Multiply x 4 and add 2 inches. So if a cannon bone measures 7.5 inches x 4 = 30 + 2 = 32 estimated mature height. Not perfect but about as close as anything I've ever come across.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I agree with you Jean_B, and I certainly expected my young mare to be in that range (that method of estimating height has always worked out fairly close for me) so imagine my surprise when it became clear she wouldn't even make 30". Her dam was 32" and her sire was 33" so I expected taller than 28.5" in their foal, but the sire came from very small lines. My take away lesson from this was that you can't be 100% sure of the final height until they are grown, the formulas are based on average outcomes, there can always be exceptions in either direction.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I seem to draw the exceptions lol. Music was foaled at 311 days gestation, 17.5" cannon 6.5". He will be 2 May 27th. He is already 32.5". His sire is 28.5 and his dam is 32.75". In all other minis I've had they follow the cannon measurement estimates very close with an average gestational foaling.

 

[supaspot]

as orin is from the Uk i thought Id ask if youre all talking about last mane hair measurements and not withers ?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Yes, in my case, AMHA measuring (last mane hairs) however even if I measured to the top of her withers she would only add perhaps an inch. Not enough to be close to what her birth height and cannon bone measurement suggested she would be.

 

[HGFarm]

The charts and measurements are helpful, but are only a 'guesstimate' or guideline to the 'average'. I find for the most part they are pretty good to go by, but you always have the exception, lol