Size Question

[JennLM]

The boy we have been waiting to get transported here for the last handful of months (was told he was 14.1 previously) but was sticked at 13.2 (plus 1/4") at a year and a half. He is the Perlino 1/2 Paso Fino, 1/2 Peruvian Paso Perlino.

Do you all think he will reach 14.2?

Will post updated pics of him after I get off work. :D

[Pasogirlz]

How old is he now? And what condition is he in?

[Linda Y]

Best way to tell is do the string test when you get him there. Piece of string stretched from the back of the fetlock joint (the ergot) to the elbow. Then hold it on the elbow and swing it up that distance. That is how tall he will be.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/yorkhrse/measurements.jpg

This is my perlino, Casi, as a baby.

[cowboy ed]

if he is 13.2 at a year and a half, then yes, he could reach 14.2 at maturity. do you know the size of the sire and dam? that is usually a pretty good indicator.

[Carol Nelson]

THANK YOU, Linda...many times I have wondered just exactly where you measure them from and to...what an excellent diagram!

[JennLM]

He is a yr and a half now.

Here are some pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/JennLM/RocketMan/Rocket06.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/JennLM/RocketMan/Rocket10.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/JennLM/RocketMan/Rocket08.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/JennLM/RocketMan/Rocket07.jpg

Hmm dunno how tall the dam was, nor the sire. The sire is Eclipse's Monarca Pisadas.

[Linda Y]

I may be wrong, but from the way the photo is, the stick isn't in quite the right place. I think your colt is taller in that photo than you are measuring. That said, here is a photo I did a digital string test on, and shows you about how much taller he will get.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/yorkhrse/Rocket10.jpg

This should be where the bottom of the stick is...the highest point of the withers...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/yorkhrse/Rocket08.jpg

[Terry Wallace]

Thats a little tricky... the top of the wither is "usually" in line with the back of the elbow... I'd back Linda's line up about one inch (in the direction of the hip). You need to follow the shoulder blade angle up...up to the center of the blade which points to the top of the wither.

Yes, I'd say he *might* get to be 14.2HH by age five...you can see he is still "butt high" right now....that should level off by age three.

How tall are the parents...take both the heights and average them...offspring are rarely smaller than their parents...unless the grandparents were a lot smaller and they get "those" particular genes.

[JennLM]

It's not me measuring him LOL He is in Tennessee right now.

I'll pop an email to ask them. WHen I was told he was 14.1 at a year I was not worried about him making 14.2 but now yeah I feel a bit worried considering what happened with Trinket. These are not the same people.

[Bonnie M]

Jenn, I was curious as to why you guys don't look at buying horses at least 5 or 6 years old? Then you can be sure of their height and not end up with another Trinket?

[Fino1]

Jenn, I was curious as to why you guys don't look at buying horses at least 5 or 6 years old? Then you can be sure of their height and not end up with another Trinket?

Same thing was going thru my head as I read about your latest purchase........considering what the price difference "might" be, an older, seasoned Paso "might" end up being a much better deal.

Just a random thought.......

Judy and Chloe the Bengal who has discovered she "really" likes sleeping in her travel kennel, even brought spydie inside for the evening.

[Terry Wallace]

No doubt...it would likely be a better deal... If you bought an already grown, trained horse... that could be had for as low as $3500...but to raise one, and wait, wait, wait, till it grows, and then send it to training...will far exceed that $3500 or $4500 price tag...of the already "ready" horse.

[PattiB]

To find the highest point of the withers, have someone give the horse a treat low so he has to lower his neck. Then you will see the highest point stick up, it is not always at the elbow. Of course you need a level area and the horse needs to be standing square.

[Terry Wallace]

If that horses' head were down..I do think it would still be about 1" back from Linda's red line.... just about right in-line with the back of his elbow.... but, you are right..its not always in line with the elbow..just most of the time ;-)

[PasoVicki]

Can I ask a supplement to Jenn's question?

Linda Y said:

Best way to tell is do the string test when you get him there. Piece of string stretched from the back of the fetlock joint (the ergot) to the elbow. Then hold it on the elbow and swing it up that distance. That is how tall he will be.

Jenn's horse is a year and a half. At what age does the above generally hold true? In other words, you obviously would get a different result doing the above test on a one month old foal and a yearling. Is there any way (other than parents' sizes) to guesstimate the adult size of a weanling? I've been wondering about Capri (and trying real hard this morning to act as though I'm not worried about him growing up at all). He seems quite large at 4 months, in relation to Danesa, and most people who see him react with "Wow! He's big."

[Terry Wallace]

Vicki...at one year and beyond...after one year..it won't change more than + or - 1 inch. This is based on that a horse will grow as tall as he is deep... a horse with good confo is as tall as his heart girth is deep...leg length from ergot to elbow matches heartgirth from top of wither to elbow...

[JennLM]

Jenn, I was curious as to why you guys don't look at buying horses at least 5 or 6 years old? Then you can be sure of their height and not end up with another Trinket?

The other 3 we are buying are going to be older Paso's. Rocket was in the works back in April. Before we knew about Trinket and before we knew much about Paso's. And considering we were told he was already 14.1 at a year we had no doubt he would be big enough.

[JennLM]

The people where he is boarding who have the Sire say the Sire is 14.2 and dam is 14.3 and the dam usually throws tall babies. (One before him was 15 hands) so I am pretty confident that while the original owner was not truthful on his size, he will get to where we want.

I know you are all trying to help and guide us and it is appreciated. :D I didn't want you all to think we were ignoring adivce or thumbing our noses.

I had been trying to trade for older ridable Paso's and still trying to for the other two. And still trying to sell our ASB stud and Trinket and saddle and our house LOL Just seems a slow market everywhere. Troy's Palomino is 14.2 or 14.3. All the ones I have been looking at since we found out about Trinket are 14.2+ and ridable.

The person who will be training Rocket likes what he sees. Some of you met him at the Gold Cup ; ) He lives abour 15-20 min from me. How lucky am I???

Rocket is getting gelded on Monday as well. We wanted to wait another year or so to let him fill out and geld him then but the people boarding him don't have a place for him other then with their geldings. We can't get him until the house sells so... we just hope he fills out nicely.