Yearlings "over" by AMHA rules

[sedeh]

I've never done a poll before and I'm not sure if I did it right or not. OH! What I'm interested in is how many have had yearlings that are "over" by AMHA standards for showing but remained under 34" as an adult? I show Pinto and I have had 4 yearlings now that I wouldn't have been able to show AMHA because they grew very fast their first year and were over 32". In Pinto it's no problem because "they're not over till they're over 34" . I know Charlotte expressed comments about showing against these "tall" yearlings and 2 year-olds at the Pinto World show and not knowing if they'll really end up being "A" minis in the end. I can tell you that 3 of the yearlings I've shown in Pinto that were over 32" basically hit their full height as yearlings....none of them have gone over 34" at maturity.

 

[Erica]

Yes, lots.........actually have had a 31" 3.5 month weanling, 33.5" yearling, stay at just a hair little under 34" (and that little under 34" was a 4yr old National measurment......and shown again as a 7yr old and measured)

I think a lot depends on bloodlines and how they grow; I find that my stallions and mares produce tend to grow quickly and then stop; of course I feed the heck out of my babies too; seldom to I have one grow much more than 1" past their yearling age.....sometimes no more.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, Erica has hit the nail on the head.....different bloodlines mature at different rates...I had a colt by Rabbit who was 28" as a weaned foal and 28" as a six year old.

Rabbits children make their height as they pass their yearling birthday....the most you can add to that is an inch for muscle and mature fat, but that is all.

So Yes, I have had many yearlings stay their yearling height.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

This thread has given me hope. I have a yearling colt who I planned to show this year until he measured 33" just before the first show. I do have a height guarantee on him (the breeder was VERY sure he wouldn't go over) but I had dreaded having to return him since he is a terrific looking/moving colt. I had even considered gelding him and keeping him (he is A and R registered ) but would be MUCH MUCH happier if he does outgrow his A papers. I guess now I just wait and watch.

 

[Becky]

Interestingly enough, I've had a few foals I thought for sure would go over 34" as mature horses and I find out later they didn't. One is showing this year as a 3 yr old driving horse at 33". I sold him as a weanling at 5 -6 months and 31". As others have mentioned, bloodlines and diet play a big roll in early growth. Here, I feed my foals for growth, so they do shoot up rapidly.

 

[HGFarm]

I almost sold my stallion Renegade as a yearling because his measurements at that point showed he was going to mature at 35 or so... I was really unhappy. He matured at barely 33". I have had a couple of others too that stopped way before they hit 34, so yes, there is hope!

I think some of it depends though, on birth height, and I measure legs, etc.. and figure an average. And how their growth pattern is generally from birth til now. Even then, it's hard to tell.

My neighbors sold a colt 20+ years ago that measured 32.5 as a yearling and they just knew he was going to go over. They sold him, but bought him back at 3 when he came up for sale, and STILL have him- and that is where he stopped, at 32.5!!

 

[Jill]

I've had many horses who had done nearly 100% of their growing by the time they were 18mos old

 

[minimomNC]

My favorite halter gelding was 32.25" as a yearling, 33.5" as a 2 year old and shown as a 3 year old at 33.75". He is still 33.75" as a 4 year old and I think he is now finished. I also had a filly that was almost 33" as a yearling and now at 3 is still just 33.5". It does depend on the bloodlines along with nutrition.

 

[Charlotte]

Sandy, I can't vote in your poll because we have never had a 32" yearling that I can remember, but I can tell you that we have had MANY foals predict to mature a certain height and they end up way shorter. We sold Buttons N Bows because she predicted to mature 32+". She is 5 now at 29".

Like others said, genetics has a lot to do with it, but I think maybe even more is nutrition. Those babies who's dams are on good nutrition before breeding and from then on and then baby is on a high quality balanced diet .... well, they just grow fast and reach their mature height early. So they don't quite fit the registries' parameters.

With the PtHA measurement plan we can end up showing a 27" yearling against a 34" WEANLING! Now how big is that guy going to be at maturity? Not a mini for sure! There need to be some adjustments there. It wouldn't eliminate the horse from showing, only put it in the division it belonged in.

I wish we would have had more time to visit at the show! Your guy was gorgeous! Congratulations!

Charlotte

 

[Leeana]

Last year , i had a yearling i was showing measure in at 32.5 - 32.75 at every show throughout the year , this year i measure him at 33" right on the dot. Just my experience with one.

 

[Erica]

With the PtHA measurement plan we can end up showing a 27" yearling against a 34" WEANLING! Now how big is that guy going to be at maturity? Not a mini for sure! There need to be some adjustments there. It wouldn't eliminate the horse from showing, only put it in the division it belonged in.

I've actually had one weanling not too far off from that mark; and yes he did stay in AMHR mini size.....and stayed within show limitations as well for AMHR each year.

He was a throw back somewhere as both parents are AMHA/AMHR, but I saw how tall and leggy he was at birth and didn't even send in for his AMHA's.....his full siblings are much smaller than him and on track to be A/R.

 

[Magic]

I've had it happen multiple times, and it is one reason I quit showing AMHA (now there are basically no AMHA shows in the area to go to anymore). I couldn't show my young horses because they were "too tall" to show in AMHA. Frustrating. But they could be shown at the AMHR shows, and that's what I did, with those young horses staying under 34" at maturity.

Those shows are where I fell in love with 34" to 38" horses, of which I seem to be buying more and more of.

I agree that nutrition has a LOT to do with it; I've bought 29" yearlings who ended up well over 34", because I feed well. The horses born here, if they are 29" as a yearling, they are lucky to reach 30" at maturity because they've already had the nutrition to reach the majority of their growth by a year old.

 

[Miniv]

At the moment there are two fillies we've owned that come to mind.... (one of our breeding and one not) that grew like crazy through their yearling year.......Both came to a screeching halt at 33 inches.

 

[sedeh]

I wish we would have had more time to visit at the show! Your guy was gorgeous! Congratulations!
Charlotte

Thanks Charlotte! He's been fun to show. I wish we could have had more time to visit also. I think you have some very nice horses!

The overall quality at the show was great.

I do wonder why AMHA doesn't loosen up on their measurement requirements for the weanlings/yearlings....it sounds like they're losing a lot of entries in their shows! I'll bet those parameters were set many years ago! We know so much more about nutrition and I think we're feeding so much better now that we're seeing horses hit their height a lot earlier.

 

[LaVern]

HI, It is good to have a few minutes now to check the Forum again. Foaling for us is just about done.

This topic caught my eye. And I agree they all grow so differently and at differents times.

Here is a funny one along the same lines.

When I bought old Rowdys Rebel back in 1990, there was a big taado about officials comining out to measure on the farm. Anyway everyone was trying to be real carful I guess. So when Bob Irwin measured Reb, with a bunch of witnesses they could not get him under 34. Close but no bananas. Larry Parnell told me that he was there and Bob cried. So they pulled his AMHA papers and sold him to me for more money than you could imagine for a B stallion at that time.

Rebs papers say 34.50

Well, Reb is 20 years old and I measured him the other day and he is 33.50 inches. Reb isn't as hunched over as I am, but he has shrunk too.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Definitely have the scary tall ones as you well know Sandy! Callita's whole line shoots up so fast you swear you'll be able to saddle them by the time their two! Some have stopped dead between 32-34 others have gone into the B range. The two Miramax sibs out of her- last years is going to squeak under 33-34" but Sunny this years - if he stays A size I'll be surprised. Her one colt I was sure was going to be hugely tall as he towered over the rest of the foals through weaning, so I sold him as a pet - he hit 32" as a yearling and never has grown! Go figure!!

The ones that really surprised me getting so tall were Dash - nothing really tall in his background but he was definitely B by his second birthday - both parents are way under the A limit so a throwback; and Woody - six generations of A size and he's a riding pony size - he even has two 1/2 sibs that were pretty darn dwarfy looking tom me when I saw them later. Thank goodness we bought him as a pet and all he has to do is be cute.

 

[ThreeCFarm]

I've only had one yearling that tall, and she did measure 32". I heard from her new owner that she did go over. The next two foals the mare had (half siblings) are definitely staying under 34".