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Discussion on New 3 year old possible stunted growth?
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New Member:
jbug
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 5:34 pm:
I recently acquired a 3 year old that still looks very much like a baby, and has not grown near her expected build. At birth she had bigger joints than her mom, and both mom and dad are 14+ hands and stocky. Looking for any info as to what could have potentially stunted her growth. Still waiting to talk to the vet, but the input I got from previous owner was that vet felt she was stunted and not worried. Is she still a pony altho her parents were "horses?" Wondering if this could cause future medical problems, if I need to be cautious in any way, or if there is anything I could do for her at this stage.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 10:28 pm:
Hi jbug, Why do the previous owners think she is stunted? If she was fed correctly it could just be a matter of genetics. Some horses/ponies mature late. My gelding at 3 yo was barely 14hh and a skinny little thing. At 5 he looked like a big built quarter horse and went 15hh.
If her parents a 14 hands they may have some pony in their back round are they registered? I HOPE I don't have this wrong but I don't think they are "legally" horses unless they are 14.3 hh. Except certain breeds..arabs come to mind.
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 4:55 am:
Could you post a picture? Just so we can see conformation and how 'young' she looks?
I had a three year old mare 1.60m ending up at 1.67m but I new she was of a family who get adult late.
Jos
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 10:38 am:
You don't say what breed your filly is. Also, what is she eating and what was she eating in the past. It is possible for a young horse's growth to be stunted by lack of proper feed, inc. balanced minerals and vitamins, as well as by lack of proper exercise. However, most of these young horses when fed properly will grow quite a bit more. Also, as mentioned before, many horses mature late. Arabians, which we have, don't reach their full height until they are at least 4 or 5. If you are correctly feeding your filly and seeing to it that she has exercise, I'm betting she'll grow more. And, if she doesn't, who cares? There are a lot of small horses out there that are more than worth their weight in gold. Have you seen the O'Conners' eventing pony in action? He's a pony and puts many large eventers to shame. The top cutting horse in the world is barely over 14H high. He not moves quicker than a cat and outsmarts a cow, but carries a large man on his back while doing so.
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 1:06 pm:
Interesting...My friend bred her very nice Arab mare to another very nice stallion. She got the tiniest foal. The filly was four last I saw and no bigger than a weanling. Also looked very juvenile.
Since she was way to small and slight to ride, she managed to find a buyer for light driving.
We just figured the little horse was a dwarf. Is that possible, Dr. O?
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New Member:
jbug
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 5:38 pm:
Well, our vet will be here end of month. I'm still gathering the info for the grain she got at previous owners. She is a QH Paint. I will have to get a good recent pic but here she is as a baby
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Friday, Mar 21, 2008 - 4:52 am:
Lovely baby!
I forgot to mention if stocky youngsters get FAT they can just as well stop growing [heightwise]
Jos
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Friday, Mar 21, 2008 - 3:34 pm:
Oh, she IS cute! I'd love to see a picture of her now, and would be interested in what the vet has to say.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 22, 2008 - 10:15 am:
I have watching to see if any pertinent information comes out and I really cannot tell if this is a genetic or environmental event. The photo suggests a very well formed individual, suggesting that at least to this point nothing untoward had happened.
DrO
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