[LMH]

My coming 4yo, Logan is a Holsteiner/TB cross.

He is currently 16.1h and is short in body length! I taped him from chest to tail at 68"!!!

I am going to measure again today because that just seems tiny size.

That is simply blanket-tiny on my farm.

Anyway, he has been wearing a few hand-me-downs that are way too big but manage for now.

I keep hanging on to all my blanket sizes not wanting to let go of the size he will be.

How much longer will he grow long and fill out?

What is the biggest blanket size he could possible reach?

I am guessing the 81s and 84s are safe to leave the building?

[tbaymare]

That does seem incredibly short!

All of my 16 ish h horses wear 80-81 inch blankets. I have heard of some of the warmbloods growing until they are 7, so would be inclined to hold on to the larger blankets...

[Simkie]

68" is comically tiny! Pictures? Does he disappear if you look at him head on?

My 16-ish hand Thoroughbreds have always been in the 76"-78" range, so I would at least expect that out of him! I'd say you've got another few years of growing and filling out to do there

[salymandar]

My 7.5 y.o. 16/16.1 WB/TB measures 81/82. When I got him at 4.5, he was probably closer to an 80, but about a year later, with a bit more growing and some filling out, he fit better in 81s and 82s and has ever since. Between 4.5 and 7, he probably grew an inch in height. We didn't formally measure him when we got him.

Most 16h-ish TBs I know are 76-80s and most of the 16h-ish WBs are 78-82s. A 68 does seem awfully short!

[Big_Grey_hunter]

Are you positive you measured him correctly? My 15.3 TB was a 72, and the chiropractor and saddle fitter both commented that he had an extremely short back. I can't imagine a horse 2 inches taller would wear blankets 4 inches smaller! 68 is pony sized

[GraceLikeRain]

How are you measuring? It is easy to let the tape slip and not measure across the broadest points.

My sisters 14.3 morganX wears a 70.

[horsepoor]

If you get rid of the bigger blankets, he will grow. Ask me how I know...! So if you WANT him to get bigger, dump the oversized blankets and I guarantee he will outgrow all you have.

For my boys, they were pretty much done filling out at 6...at 5, I could tell what I had to keep as far as blankets as the filling out didn't really make them move up a size. Of course, I had the "luxury" of owning several different sized horses and so had lots of choices.

Now my smallest guy surprised me this winter by growing out of his blanket. He's 13! I let him get too fat, so he's wearing a loaner blanket from one of my other horses while he gets on a diet and exercise routine. Me and him both, actually!

[rmh_rider]

My SUPER SUPER short backed arab wears a 72". He is 14.2 1/2"HH. He is stocky.

My RM a full bodied gal, little long in the back, stocky, 15.1 1/2"HH wears a 78".

At 4 yrs he will get a bit wider, but not longer.

Perhaps you should remeasure. Don't pull the tape tight. Measure 3-4 times. Get a helper if you can.

[WildandWickedWarmbloods]

height-wise, or girth-wise? Cause warmbloods never stop "growing" one way or the other.

As for height, warmbloods reach maturity at about 7 years.
As for girth, well it depends on the amount of grass each summer.

For blankets, we reach "maturity" aka length, at about 3-5 years of age. Which decides our blanket length. Measure from center of chest around the "widest" point of the shoulder to the edge of the tail. Even the one of us who is vertically challenged" is a size 74-75.

You do know that a warmblood, except for a few exceptions, is a crossbred horse?

[LMH]

ok

I remeasured and got 72.

I will get my mom to hold one end and try again...I mean his legs DO come out of one hole in his chest but this is a bit silly.

My 15.3h tank QH/TB is a 75 so this just seems crazy.

However I do know the 78 blanket he wears is silly big on him as well.

Perhaps a photo of the world's shortest horse is in order.

I bet I let the tape slip to not the widest part...

In any case it seems like he is still a year or two away from final blanket size...

As far as "WB cross"-indeed. I meant his papa is the Holsteiner and mama is a TB.

[joiedevie99]

Are you putting the tape on the center of his cheat, and measuring to the center of his tail? Place the front of the tape right at the center of his chest, just below where his neck ties in. Have someone hold it there, and make sure it goes around the widest point of his shoulder, then bring it all the way around to the center of his tail. I wouldn't expect a 16h WB to be less than a 76. Mine wears an 80 and is not particularly broad. He takes a medium tree saddle and a 24 dressage girth.

[PNWjumper]

I don't measure my youngsters. I just throw one of the many older used blankets I have and rotate through until I find something that doesn't look like a circus tent I've had some big horses fit in tiny sheets and some small-looking horses fit in big sheets.

FWIW, my 5yo Holsteiner boy is also a slow grower. At 4yo and 16.3h he still wore a 78 that was a hair too big on him. His front legs came out of one hole up front (still kind of do), and he definitely looked babyish. At 5yo (and maybe 3 months?) he popped up to 17h seemingly overnight, and suddenly comfortably fits in an 80/81".

So I'd say give it another year and you should be closer to a final blanket size? But who knows.....I've had youngsters grow until they were 9yo and I've had those that were finished growing at 3. As someone else mentioned, the only way to guarantee growth is to throw away any larger blankets you own. Murphy never misses an opportunity with horses!

[LMH]

FWIW, my 5yo Holsteiner boy is also a slow grower. At 4yo and 16.3h he still wore a 78 that was a hair too big on him. His front legs came out of one hole up front (still kind of do), and he definitely looked babyish. At 5yo (and maybe 3 months?) he popped up to 17h seemingly overnight, and suddenly comfortably fits in an 80/81".

OK this convinced me to hang on to the 78s and 81s for sure.

He is currently wearing an old 78 Rhino that hangs like a small circus tent but he is not 4yo until the end of March.

I think I would be safe letting the 84s go...

*sigh* too much stuff sitting around.

[asterix]

You are probably safe on the 84s but unless you need the $ or the space I would keep most of the other ones.

My WB x (admittedly, he had draft in there too) grew right out of his blanket in every direction between 5 and 6 y.o. He looked like the Incredible Hulk.

[LMH]

I think I will just store them all for 5 more years!

[JB]

I nearly spit out my water at the 68 lolol!! Gizmo is a good 72"

I think Rio was in the 78 range at 3/4, before he got wider. Now he's 80 BUT he does have a short-ish back.

I'd say by 5 or so you're probably pretty safe. You might find he widens after that but hopefully that would be remedied by the next hole on the chest buckle.
I
f a 78 hangs on him now that's probably about where he'll end up.

[Texarkana]

I don't think my WB/arab mare has been able to fit in a 68" blanket since she was a yearling!

And as far as growth, she grew until she was 7! She topped out at 16.1h. She grew an inch in height and moved up a blanket size from 78" (which she had worn since 3y/o) to 80" at 7 years old. Maybe you don't want to toss out those 80" blankets *quite* yet!

[Simkie]

I think I will just store them all for 5 more years!

Put 'em away and forget about them. You will be pleasantly surprised when you're cursing because he's outgrown something in a couple years and "find" them again

[ironbessflint]

I'd hang on to them. A friend's WB was wearing 75" at 4, and and 6 is pushing 81".

And fwiw, my 14.1 skinny pony wore a 68" when SHE was 2, and ultimately filled out to a 74", so yes, pictures are required!

[TheJenners]

I sticked my 3.5 yo WB today at 15.2, and he wears a 72. I expect him to grow a little bit more, but not really.