Gypsy Vanner

[Misskim1989]

Hi All
I am new to this forum and just wanted to get a few opinions about my gypsy vanner. He came from a dealer and he is 9 months old. Few of the girls at the yard said he should make a good size but wanted to get a few more opinions. I have owned horses before but he is the first baby I have had so this is all new to me. Also any advice on what to feed and when to add different feeds and how much eye and opinions on whether hay or haylage is best would be great.

Thanks
kim

 

[squidsin]

No idea on the advice front - but awwwww what a cutie! And welcome!

 

[Trewsers]

Hello and welcome. Indeed cutie !!

 

[chev]

How tall is he now? Any idea what size his parents were?

We used to feed our babies young stock mix and ad lib haylage in the winter and nothing very much in the summer except for a vitamin\mineral block in the field. Plenty of roughage is most important followed by a vitamin and mineral additive (like blue chip but there are cheaper ones out there) and he should be fine.

 

[Jessey]

I've always kept my young'uns on adlib hay and a vit and mineral supplement in a handful of chaff, and not introduced much else unless they start dropping weight (not for the upwards growth spurts when they go all skinny and gangly only for true weight loss) until they started working.

 

[newforest]

Hi and welcome.
Its one of those guesstimates on height. But parents are the best start and how old that mare is, if it's a first etc.
Some people geld later to get a bigger lad.

To me the most important thing is he has field buddies if a similar age to socialize with.

 

[horseandgoatmom]

Hello and welcome!

He is adorable!!!

 

[chev]

With regards to gelding later as a rough guide a horse that's gelded early will generally end up shorter than one gelded later but the early geldings often grow better bones because the changes in hormones cause growth plates to close earlier. So he might end up an inch or so taller but leggier as well. We used to cut as yearlings unless they looked like they had stallion potential, it makes life easier for the horses and for us managing them.