Growth Spurts & Miniatures?

[Tremor]

So, this is my first post here so I would like to introduce myself before I ask my question.

Hi, my name is Julia!

I live in Iowa, and I'm a sophomore in high school. I have nine miniature horses, two of whom are already sold and going to their new home in January. Out of the six we're keeping I have one breeding mare, a cremello, left who is bred for 2011 for the last time. I also have her 2010 colt, a silver smokey black, and one other non-dwarf foal, a palomino filly. My other three is a dwarf mare, a chestnut, and her two dwarf foals, one from 2007, and 2010. Her 2007 gelding, a chestnut appy, was conceived due to my parents stupidity, and her 2010 filly, a silver black appy, was bred through the fence after we tried to keep her open. Because of this filly and the economy we are getting out of breeding so we can enjoy our remaining horse. Thank god too!

So, now that you know me sort of, I can ask my question.

My 2010 colt, Pete, is HUGE! His dam and sire are only 32'' tall and all of their previous foals both together and with other mares have been under 30'' at maturity. Pete on the other hand is 29'' tall and has outgrown a halter made specifically for yearling miniatures, 27''-29'' tall. I haven't a clue where he got his height or how. Pete had a growth spurt of some sort right after the county fair in July (where he got a purple ribbon!

) . So, now his butt is way in the air. His parts and siblings on the other hand are level with butt and shoulder. So, to me this sounds like its just an awkward going stage and not genetic, but that's not what I've been told.

I have been told that miniatures don't go through awkward going stages like QH's or Paints. Is that true? Does my not-so-little guy have a chance?

Pete's Pedigree (you can see his relatives, and pics of dam and sire) http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/pete15

Here's some current pictures of Pete and I this morning (forgive my shorts and cowboy boots, I have my own sense of fashion

)

Thanks,

Julia & Pete

 

[Miniv]

Welcome, Julie.

Many of our minis do 95 percent of their growth in their first 12 months and then things hit the brakes and they begin to fill out and stop looking so gangly....much like a big dog does.

The butt high thing is very common. If you measure the top of his hind end, it will probably tell you how tall he will even out to be in two or three months.

Wish I could give you a definite answer but every mini can grow differently. Some shoot up and max out in 12 to 18 months. Others grow steadily for 2 years and maybe eek out a bit more by age 3. Occasionally one will FINALLY reach full maturity by age 5.

Ma---

PS: Forgot to mention.......Have you measured your colt's mom's cannon bone and compared it to your colt's cannon bone?

 

[Tremor]

Welcome, Julie.  

Many of our minis do 95 percent of their growth in their first 12 months and then things hit the brakes and they begin to fill out and stop looking so gangly....much like a big dog does.

The butt high thing is very common. If you measure the top of his hind end, it will probably tell you how tall he will even out to be in two or three months.  

Wish I could give you a definite answer but every mini can grow differently. Some shoot up and max out in 12 to 18 months. Others grow steadily for 2 years and maybe eek out a bit more by age 3.  Occasionally one will FINALLY reach full maturity by age 5.

Ma---

PS: Forgot to mention.......Have you measured your colt's mom's cannon bone and compared it to your colt's cannon bone?

Thank you for the answer! I'm glad to know that my not-so-little guy has a chance!

I have not measured his dam's or his cannon bone. I was going to measure his at birth, but the whole procedure confused me. I'll have to measure them both tomorrow. 

Thanks again, 

Julia

 

[Katiean]

My colt was 33 3/4" at 1 1/2 years old. He is still at age 3 almost 4 33 3/4". I had people telling me torestrict his food to keep him smaller. I won't starve a horse to slow the growth. He is what he is. Oh, and my colts mother is 31". He looked like a baby TB when he was born. Legs that went forever.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I have been told that miniatures don't go through awkward going stages like QH's or Paints. Is that true? Does my not-so-little guy have a chance? 
Julia & Pete

Hi Julia, welcome to the forum! I've only raised one mini colt (or colt, period) and he's still growing but I can tell you for a fact that minis DO go through awkward stages just like anyone else!

It just depends on how fast they grow and how far they've got to go.

My colt was 33 3/4" at 1 1/2 years old. He is still at age 3 almost 4 33 3/4". I had people telling me torestrict his food to keep him smaller. I won't starve a horse to slow the growth. He is what he is.

Thanks for posting this, it gives me hope! My guy got a big growth spurt between 16 months and 27 months but he evened out at 33" and I was crossing my fingers that he was done. Unfortunately he's getting butt-high again so I'm sighing and anticipating another spurt. Too bad! I'm still not going to restrict his feed though.

Leia

 

[sedeh]

Hi Julia and welcome to the forum! Most of my minis seem to do the majority of their growth in the first year and by the time they're 2 they've quit growing. However I have had minis go "B" that came out of 29" stallion and 33" mare...so you never know! Your guy is a cutie!

 

[JMS Miniatures]

When it comes to this whole height business I don't think anyone has it down to an exact science. Yours may very well get taller then his parents. With him being butt high is a sign of him growing. Some say when their tail gets to the ground they stop growing, I don't find that to be the case with all. I have known several geldings that continue to grow even past their pernament height. My supposely under 30" gelding is now 31.75" as a 2 year old and I'm just hoping he won't get past 32", but he probably will, and I'll just show him as a 32-34" gelding.

I just wouldn't worry so much when it comes to his height more then likely he will still remain under 34". As far as them growing in into awkard growing stages he probably will. I think most do. Especially in their yearling years. Again just don't stress about it.

IMO here's the best way too look at it. If he's growing, and condition wise he is looking good you are doing something right with your program.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Hello and welcome Julia! My little gelding was weaned too early and pot bellied when he came here at 5 months. He was tiny, born at 18" I think I remember, only about 21" when we brought him home. By the time he was 13 months, all of a sudden, it seemed like overnight!, his little butt went way high, his neck became long and thin, and he still had big doe eyes. We called him our fugly llama poor little guy. I stressed because he is well bred, and he just looked so ugly, but I love him anyway. I had him gelded, he stayed the same, and all of a sudden after three long months, he evened out, and now he is 28 inches and very proportioned and pretty. I still hope he reaches at least 31 inches, but he probably will not. His legs spayed out during the growth spurt, then came in straight. We kept him trimmed even during this time also. I was very surprised since he was so little and a miniature, that he had that huge uneven growth.

 

[Tremor]

Thanks guys for the warm welcome and the help!

I'm very proud of my boy, lol. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he hit 33'' tall. We do have a mare who had short parents and a full sister (29'' tall) yet she matured to be 35'' tall. Unfortunately, at six years she hasn't grown out of her high butt. 

But, I'm just glad that Pete hasn't grown out of his show halter! He's on the tightest hole on it, so he won't grow out of it too fast hopefully! 

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Once you are able to clip him down the halters should fit better, he is a fuzz ball.

 

[ForeverFarma]

I'm going to have to argue a little bit- of all the foals I have ever been around, whether friends or one that I foaled out personally, I never really saw much of the growing spurts where they went butt/wither high fo any period of time like big horse foals do. Almost every one I saw that went butt high at any point tended to stay that way and never leveled out. As I said, this is from personal experience from observing both foals born at other farms and my own. I had also heard that they don't go uneven as much as big horse foals do, so went and asked another breeder in my area, who also had observed his own foals not going through that akwrd stage without staying that way.

 

[Tremor]

Lol, thank you. We've had fourteen foals and we'd never had such and awkward foal so this is a first for me! 

I'm going to have to argue a little bit- of all the foals I have ever been around, whether friends or one that I foaled out personally, I never really saw much of the growing spurts where they went butt/wither high fo any period of time like big horse foals do. Almost every one I saw that went butt high at any point tended to stay that way and never leveled out. As I said, this is from personal experience from observing both foals born at other farms and my own. I had also heard that they don't go uneven as much as big horse foals do, so went and asked another breeder in my area, who also had observed his own foals not going through that akwrd stage without staying that way.

 

[ohmt]

They ALL go through an awkward phase in some form or another. I can't tell you how many times I would go out growing up, look at a weanling or yearling and go 'yuck!' And have my grandpa tell me, 'just wait, this is a special one'. Couple months later when he/she had time to even all of the parts out and fill out, there would be a whole different horse.

It's one of the reasons I LOVE clipping in the spring so much. So many of our weanlings go into winter out of whack and with the good winter feeding get all caught up. It's extra exciting seeing how they've changed

 

[ForeverFarma]

I have had several go through ugly phases before and come spring look just fine, and one colt in particular that I sold to Canada that I thought was the ugliest thing ever turn out to be the handsomest 3 yr old the next year. I've just never had any go through the up down stage without staying that way. In some cases, that's a good thing- gives them more to engage on the hind end to jump and drive, but doesn't do much for their career in halter.