Methods of height prediction

[Charlotte]

Say you have a 12 month old horse. What method(s) of height prediction do you use and how accurate have they been? I'm talking about horses you have followed to maturity..........say, 5 years.

If you reply to this would you please be very descriptive about your method. Saying 'cannon bone' measurement doesn't seem to mean much because everyone I talk to seems to measure differently.

If you say 'cannon bone' do you actually mean the cannon bone, measured from center of knee to center of fetlock joint? If you measure below the center of fetlock do you leave the hoof on the ground and do you follow the actual line of the pastern or do you measure from point to point? Or do you pick up the leg and measure some way?

Please describe exactly how you do it. Then give the mathematical formula to use.

I will be ever so greatful for any replies.

Charlotte

 

[loveminis]

I think measuring from the middle of the knee to the top of the hook, times that by 4, and then add 2" is fairly accurate. That is the method I like.

 

[Becky]

I think measuring from the middle of the knee to the top of the hook, times that by 4, and then add 2" is fairly accurate.

Do you follow the curve of the leg or measure straight down? Measure the front of the leg or the side? Or does it matter?

 

[kaykay]

Shoot I cant remember how they do it but theres this thing they do here in Ohio with a string. Maybe Arlene will see this and post. I just know alot of the Ohio judges and stewards swear by it.

 

[afoulk]

Shoot I cant remember how they do it but theres this thing they do here in Ohio with a string. Maybe Arlene will see this and post. I just know alot of the Ohio judges and stewards swear by it.

I do not recall hearing of any method requiring a string used for the determination of height but that certainly does not mean there is not one I have just not heard of it. The only method that I have ever used is the middle of the knee to top of the hoof time 4 plus 2. I have never followed through on it to see if a horse matures at that height.

Arlene

 

[loveminis]

Go straight down, not against the leg.

 

[WeeOkie]

Charlotte,

I've always heard that if you go straight down, then you add 2 inches. If you follow the curve then you don't. I personally don't think it has been very accurate for me, even though some people swear by it.

Rita

 

[Becky]

Another question - if you are measuring the 'leg', at what age is it supposed to be accurate? It would seem that there would be quite a bit of variation from birth, to 6 months, to 1 yr, to older.

 

[kaykay]

I think it was Bud that showed me at a show last year but dang if I can remember. Sorry Arlene I thought you might have heard of it.

 

[tagalong]

http://ultimatehorsesite.com/info/stringtesting.html

We used the first method with big horses all the time and it was usually accurate within an inch.... for foals we measured from the ground to the elbow instead of using the fetlock...

 

[Katiean]

With my BIG horses we would take a string. Place one end of the string at the point of the elbow. Measure straight (tight string) to the point of the fetlock. Turn the string strait up still holding it at the point of the elbow. That is your projected height. I have done this with a grown horse to test it out and Piont of the elbow to the point of the pastern. turn the string up and it would be at the top of a grown horses wethers not at the base like we do. I have never tried it with minis.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I also do the measurement from the center of knee to hairline above hoof and I pull it tight along the side but I have never had to add 2...my foals are almost always full grown by the time they are long yearlings, I actually cant remember one that grew very much after that. The string measurement has always been within an inch of the actual mature height. Maybe I just have good luck with it or something

.

 

[rubymtminis]

I agree with tagalong, we have always used method #1 with our big horses. It has always been accurate. I don't know about minis, I am waiting to see if it is also accurate for them.

Becky

 

[mini1]

Charlotte-

With our foals, we lifted a front leg straight out in front of them just high enough to lay a tape measure against their leg. We measured from the middle of the knee to the hairline at the top of the hoof and multiplied by 4 and added 2. We just laid the tape straight on their leg, didn't follow the contour. This was fairly accurate on most of our horses however, we always had a few that went way over the measurement and some that stayed way under the measurement.

I have HEARD but have not confirmed this that the "cannon bone" (from the knee to the next joint above the hoof) stays the same length from birth to maturity so the measurement can be taken and calculated at any age and should come out the same. I don't want to debate the issue so if I am wrong, I apologize now.

I know that we did follow a couple horses to maturity regarding leg measurements and cannon bone measurement and if I remember correctly, it did work.

Kelly

 

[Charlotte]

Well, I thank everyone for their input. But I'll tell you :arg! it sounds to me like there isn't any method any better than what I have used for years..... ground to last mane hair measurement then the Canadian formula. I think what I will do is try every method I can come up with and see how much difference there is in the prediction.

Charlotte

p.s. any more input will be appreciated!

 

[icspots]

I've been doing the cannon measurement for 11 years and have retained quite a few horses and it is accurate if you do it right. center of the knee, straight line to coronet band times four plus two. Mature height should fall within 1/2" on either side of that figure. BUT if you measure at birth it isn't accurate. The cannon bone is the same length at birth as it will ever be, but the fetlock isn't. They need to be at least 3 months old for the measurement to come out right, at least that has been my experience. For some reason if I measure them at birth they all seem to want to be 28" at maturity, and I assure you, they don't all end up 28" tall!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Charlotte, we've used the 'canon bone' measurement ever since we started breeding, and it's the most accurate predicter I've found so far. But you have to remember that being off by only 1/4 inch means an inch difference in adult height! I measure straight down from the middle of the knee to the top of the hoof. I feel for the actual top of the hoof, not the hairline. If you get an 8" measurement, don't give a height guarantee!

Melba

 

[Charlotte]

ok Melba, that sounds pretty simple for the measuring part, but then what is the math formula you use? I'm heading out to measure De De now.

C

 

[Ridgerunner]

Oops! Sorry, I didn't quite finish the story, did I?

I multiply the measurement by 4, and add 2. When Bubba was born, and I measured his canon at 6", I thought, "Well, that can't be right!" But here he is at 9 years old, strutting all 26" of his stuff!

Melba

 

[Julie/Azariah]

I think some of us need to keep some records and make a report on this in a few years.

The cannon bone does not change from birth through adulthood.

I have always run the tape measure from the top of the cannon bone (middle of the joint) following the contour of the leg...and add an inch or two after multiplying by 4.

Maybe that is why my horses come up on the "shorter" side of my predictions.

When you run the tape from middle of knee to coronary band do you go straight down the front without following the contour or down the side? I would think front measurement would be a bit longer.

I will have to go measure some mature mini cannons and see if they are accurate according to the base of the mane hair measurement.

For a quick height predictor, I try to get the mare and foal on a level surface and see where the top of the cannon falls on each. I know the mare's height so can tell if the foal will be a bit taller or shorter than momma.