When should a colt mature?

[Carly Rae]

Hi,

So I just wanted to know when a colt should mature around roughly? I have 2 colts at the moment one is around 11 months and one is 2 years old in November.

We originally bought Toby for breeding when he got older as he has nice colours and a beautiful nature and is such a gentleman with the ladies. I have been told he will mature around 19 months, he is around 21 months but other people say 2 years to 4 years depending on the horse, I do understand that all colts are different and will mature at different times but I am just curious.

Like Toby shows interest toward the girls and he will start acting all 'studdish' but as soon as one of the girls pin their ears back or give him a warning nip its all gone and he will just go back to grazing with them. Toby's testicles only 'dropped' (were visible, we actually thought he was gelded because we couldn't see them and our 2 month old colt had visible testicles) a few months ago.

When Toby was born (not on my property, we didn't breed him) his penis was 'stuck/twisted' in his sheath and he couldn't urinate, and he had the vets out regularly to slowly work it out of his sheath and the old owners of him said all of the vet stuff scared him a little.

But yeah, I have only seen Toby mount ONCE ever (just in my experience) and all the other times he will just kinda chest bump into their rump then run away its cute though and I don't know if he is just playing when he does that.

I am not panicking that he is not breeding or anything and I am in no rush to have foals or anything, I don't think he is mature yet, but what's the average age they should mature?

Thanks

 

[chandab]

Some are sexually mature enough to breed as young as 9 months, but usually 18 months to 2 years. Physical maturity is at least 3 years old. Many take quite awhile to get the hang of sweet talking the girls and actually breeding them, so hand breeding their first season is often helpful.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

They can breed form 9 months.

Don't think color and temperament mean you should breed, conformation is the most important thing.

 

[MiniNHF]

And to add to Rocklone's comment you want to make sure you know the mare and stallions background very well that you are breeding in knowing that you are not chancing in producing a dwarf miniature especially. Both parents can look completely normal. Even though I am not going to breed my stallion till years down the road, he will be tested for the dwarf gene.

Also another thing to think about is the cost of breeding for a foal and the complications that can happen before the foal is even born or while it is being born.

With our TB babies, we kept the colts and fillies together after they were weaned and as they progressed into yearlings, we kept an eye on the colts and if they started having "breeding tendencies" we would pull them out and stick them in with my older gelding and from there he would teach them manners etc. He was a good teacher and baby sitter

 

[Carly Rae]

Thanks!

What do you mean by 'hand breeding'?

I was told that colour and temperament could be passed on to offspring as well? Also I didn't even think about conformation (but I do know it is important) Sorry. I am not sure on how to check conformation? I have found so many different charts to tell but I have never checked conformation myself, So I am not sure if Toby OR Kevin have conformation suitable for breeding.

After my holiday away (2 weeks) I am putting my resume into different jobs so I can earn money to afford vet services even if its not for pregnancy reasons, just general check ups and farriers ect. I have had 2 foals born here and we didn't even know they were pregnant until a few days until they foaled and both foals were healthy, I am so thankful that they didn't have any complications.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Get a photo of them standing well from side on and then from the front and then from the back and we may be able to help a little.

Color will only pass on if he is homozygous and you can't know that without a test. Temperament will never be exactly the same.

 

[Carly Rae]

Cool I will do, should I wait until they aren't all fluffy or doest it not matter?

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Probably better without fluff, but major conformation issues will show up through fluff.

 

[Carly Rae]

Alright, I'll get some today and if he is too fluffy I can get some when he isn't fluffy.

 

[paintponylvr]

It's always nice to have photos both when they are fluffy and also when they are shed out. Fat, thin & muscle conditioning makes a huge difference as well. Angles need to be balanced and correct. The wrong angles can distort a good horse and make him look bad.

On some horses, you can "hide" conformation faults when they are stretched and others you can "hide" faults when they are stood square. OR rather, you can properly see how they are conformed depending on how they are standing. It's hard to see actual good points as well as faults on those "pretty" 3/4 angle shots (the 2nd pic down on this filly). Some are sure a nice way to present the horse, though!

Here are some photos of the same filly. These are of Flashi - sired by same stallion that sired Julie's gelding DanD. Out of a different bred and built mare. She was born on April 11th, 2011. I don't like this mare stretched out (I'm funny about stretching) - yet she does "look" better when she has just a bit of stretch. In all of these photos, if stood completely square, she is butt high - however she is not mature yet. In mature, stock type horses that is one of the major faults... In shetlands? I've never heard anyone but me comment about it, to be honest.

Day of birth - hours old.

5 weeks old here

2 months old

10 months old

18 months old

28 months old - in full show shape and well conditioned. Breathtaking! **for me** this is her other side

For color, Flashi has been tested and is homozygous black, no bay agouti, single gened silver, single gened Tobiano, negative for LWO (frame overo pattern), negative for SB1 (Sabino overo pattern). There are now tests out for Splash 1, 2 & 3 and also for Dominant White w5 & w10 (another paint pattern) - which she hasn't been tested for.

**********

In breeding - hand breeding is handling both the mare and the stallion.

pen/paddock breeding - turning the stallion out w/ one mare in a small paddock or pen.

pasture breeding - turning the stallion out with a group of mares.

AI - fresh - semen is collecting the stallion and artificially inseminating the mare (done by a licensed person or a vet). Some places inseminate the mare right there - others extend the semen and put into several "straws" and it is cooled and shipped to the mare owner/handler (or the vet doing the service) and she is inseminated.

AI - frozen - the stallion is collected and the semen extended and put into the "straws"; then cooled and frozen. The frozen semen is shipped to the mare owner/handler (or the vet doing the service), where it is thawed, and the mare is inseminated.

 

[paintponylvr]

I have had a lot of ponies grow larger become "more" mature years after horses are normally considered full grown and/or mature.

 

[Carly Rae]

Thanks! That actually really helped

I went and got some photos of Toby, I forgot to bring down my halter and lead and I didn't have enough time to go get it as my phone battery nearly died on me. So I had to just try get some not being tied up.

Sorry If these aren't the angles required, I tried to get down on his level in most pictures. Please excuse is dirty coat, we just had rain and I just tried to get out all the mud, but I don't really like combing legs so I just tried to rub the mud off his legs with my hands which didn't really work. But here is what I got.

Can anything be told from these if he has any faults? Thanks!

 

[Carly Rae]

Theres also some from the start of this year I don't know if any of these will help they are just photos of him without his fluffy coat, none were actually taken for this purpose, just cause I like taking photos

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

If you have a look at some conformation guidance pictures you can usually tell yourself what's going on.