Have I bred another Jolly Green Giant??

[crosscreeksh]

We had a lovely BIG, paint filly born May 2 of this year. Parents are 16.2 and 16.1 hands and both are known to produce really tall foals. (I've had both parents for many years.) Very little TB blood present. This filly has always looked a bit big for her age, but nothing freaky or out of proportion. Preparing to write an ad for her I decided to measure her cannon bone length - a pretty good mature height indicator I've come to believe. After three different measurements - in front of reliable witnesses - I have the same three numbers...18 inches from mid knee to coronet!! Any body else ever get a leg THAT long???

[Bravestrom]

I will have to measure my weanling - she is already 14.3hh

[camohn]

nope! The odds that a 16.1 and 16.2 Paint parent will produce an 18H foal are kinda slim though. Not that the kid will be small.......just highly unlikely about the 18h. my super leggy colt that had a 16.75 as a foal ended up 16.1H.......so even if you knock a couple inches off the 18H that is still 17.2 though.........
all in all I don't put a lot of stock in height tests before 12 months of age though. Not that the bone will shrink in the next year...but growing more body to go with it and using one of the other 2 height tests at that point might prove more accurate. I would put in the ad that she will mature to 16.2H+. Putting 18" measurement in the ad would most likely just scare people off....not many folks want an 18H horse. I have had it go the other way too. I had an Arab/WB cross colt that has a short cannon and string tested as a yearling via knee to coronet at 14" (14H). No one wanted a 14H WB cross. The thing is that he was already 14H at the time. No way he was not growing any more past a yearling!! I told folks to use their heads and look at the fact he was already 14H. The elbow test one said 15.3 to 16H. FWIW he ended up 15.3H.

[rugbygirl]

I got 17 and a half on my filly's "string test". I had to wean her at four months. Vet supported this idea as we can control her caloric intake better and avoid any overfeeding issues. She's massive. She is tough to measure accurately at this stage, between thick winter coat and my lack of a stick, but She's at least 14.2hh. At four months.

Sire was 16.2hh, mare is 17hh even...although the mare produced a colt who hit 18hh, and most of her full relatives are a lot taller than she is.

[City Ponies]

You can hide her yaking stages with me and I'll let you know ;)

I'm slowly searching for the next long term project (weanling purchase) but I want something non-WB that will mature over 16.2 - 17+ is better. So if I were in the position right now your girl would be perfect!

But.. topic on hand. I think some horses just stay leggy vs. body height size. I just sold a mare with a 17.5" measurement but is only 16.2, all legs (she's 12 yrs old). My broodie only measures 13.75" but she's 14.1. You will probably have a nice 17ish girl later on :)

[crosscreeksh]

Thanks for the replies. No...I don't think she'll REALLY hit 18 hands - I've never seen an 18 hand paint!! But after all the years of breeding I was quite surprised when I measured her bone. She is quite tall for her 7 months, but growing evenly. Out here in "cowpony" country, she could pass for a two year old or even some ranch horses - if you hid her cute baby face!! For us...tall is always good. In all my years of breeding I've never had trouble marketing tall horses, but I can't give away a horse under 16 hands. I "know", not everyone NEEDS a big horse, but they all seem to want them. Me included, even though I can't get on the big ones without a mounting block!! I plan to sell the mother of this filly next year and am seriously thinking of breeding her to our new 17+ hand, 3 year old and still growing, TB stud. Now THAT one might go to 18 hands!! Mare is homozygous, too!