Pleasee help how big will my filly grow

How is being in a stable or wearing a rug going to help her grow?!

*shakes head in disbelief and not just at PL52* :p

Actually....stabling/wearing a rug, especially on cold days will help the youngster grow by keeping it warm. The less s/he shivers to keep warm, the more energy can be put into growth.

Intead of eating to keep warm, the foal can eat to gain weight/strength etc.

Having said that, I left all of mine as long as I could without rugs/stables/feed etc because I wanted them to be tough. But I always had good grazing.

To answer the original question, the average size of the parents is a good indicator as to the rough foal height at adulthood - provided their growth isnt stunted for whatever reason (usually malnutrition). Also good idea to get average sizes of the foal's siblings as some can produce surprisingly small/large offspring for their heights! If the foal is the first one the mare has had, then the chances, it will be slightly smaller than what could otherwise be expected.

Iv got an ID x anglo-arab who is standing 16.2hh at 5....his dam was 15.2hh, his sire was 17.2hh, so hes right in the middle. Having said that, they do say that foals tend to err more on their mothers side in terms of height, but each case is different.

Another rough guestimator is to add roughly 2hands onto a yearling that has been left to grow naturally (i.e. no super feeds for TBs that make them grow quicker).
Also could try using string to follow the contours down from the soft bit in the knee to the coronet, and then inverting the string so it goes from the knee straight up, and the bit left above the withers is a rough indicator of how much more the foal has to grow upwards....I dont know how accurate this is though.

The filly in the video looks marvellous though! Such a dainty little thing! I wouldnt mind her myself, no matter what size she matures to!
 
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She's really pretty!

i think, judging from leg length etc she will make 15.2/16hh.

Really wouldn't keep her in, she needs to be moving to build muscle. Not sure about haylage. i never liked feeding it to young horses meself. Bit to high in protein for me. I'd be feeding her loads of good grass, plus good quality hay. Dodson and Horrell do a really good mare and youngstock mix which is specifically meant for the native and warmblood types. its always a temptation to feed youngsters loads, but not necc. a good thing as they can contract OCD (ossification and calcification disorder - i think anyhow...) with an excess of protien.


good luck, keep us posted!
 
I'd use the string test when she is a year old. You get some string and measure from the ergot to the shoulder, at the shoulder pivot the string up to the withers and whatever you have is the height left to grow, e.g my lad is 14.1 and the string showed he had 4 inches left to grow it is acurate to within about an inch so he will make 15 - 15.1 which is what his breeder said.

As for haylage my vet said no to hayledge until they were older as can cause growth spurts but I have a friend that feeds it and has had no problems at all so I guess that is preferance. I feed Badminton's Basefeed which has vits and minerals in.
 
I feed my yearling (had her since 6mths shes now 18mths) spillers grow and win and a spillers speedy mash it's a balancer. Give them a message and ask them. I used a lightweight rug on mine and move up the weights as the weather gets colder you can check to see if she's warm enough. I would definitely stable her if it's cold. Is she in a paddock/field with others
That filly will be 14 by now! This thread is really old.
 
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