The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

really small percheron filly?

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Indyhorse 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,
I acquired a percheron filly that was supposed to be 1/8 quarter horse and the rest Percheron. I got her a month ago. She just turned 6 months old, and she only stands 12hh at the withers and 12.3hh at the butt. The dam was 16.3hh and the "assumed" sire was 17.3hh. The dam was a rescue and was 750lbs underweight when the current owner obtained her. She was 7 months along in her pregnancy at this time with twins. The smaller of the two foals did not make it.
Could this be the reason my little girl is so little, or should i assume the man was lying about what stallion she was bred to?
Or.... is it possible that she is just starting out slow and will catch up later?

This is the link of all of the photos taken of Miracle from the time she was born, to when i first got her, to today.

Facebook

Thank you for looking, and I appreciate any advice you can give. Also, she had a huge potbelly when i first got her. Had a fecal done and she was nn. I wormed her with zimectrin gold anyway, just to be safe. She still has a potbelly, but nothing like what it was at first. I currently have her on Omalene 300 and Ultium Growth mixed, free choice mineral block, along with being on a grass pasture, and 2x flakes hay daily.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Hmmm. I'm not sure just how helpful I'm going to be, but after looking through her pictures, she really doesn't seem all that short to me. The fact that her butt is 12.3 gives me the impression that she just hasn't hit her growth spurt, and that as she continues to fill out, she'll still grow. 6 month is still very young, and she has atleast another two years of growing left in her, if not three. She's filled out nicely, especially considering that her mother was 750 pounds underweight, and that she was a twin. Given those odds, I wouldn't of even believed her mother would survive he birth, let alone produce a healthy foal. I guess that's why her name is Miracle ^^

I'm not so convinced that her father was a purebred percheron though. She really doesn't look to be an almost pure-bred. Still, there is a very, very small chance that the mule was fertile, so that leads me to believe that either the man was lying (very possible. I mean, anyone who allowed a pregnate mare to be 750 pounds underweight is an idiot, if you ask me.) or that she'll fill out to look more percherony later.

If you're really worried about her height though, a good suppliment for growing foals wouldn't hurt. The pot belly is probably a 'hay belly' from all of that grass and hay. Does she necessarily need all of that hay, if she's on free-range grazing? You might try replacing the hay with the suppliment, and a tad bit more feed. It could help decrease the wormy look, if she is indeed worm-free.
 
#3 · (Edited)
12 HH at 6 months isn't really small at all. That's actually just a little bit smaller than where my 3/4 Shire gelding Finn was at 6 months (if I remember correctly he was 13.1 at 6 months). He was 15 HH even as a yearling, and now at 29 months, he stands 16.3 HH and still has plenty of growing to do. His dam was also substantially underweight during pregnancy with him and during his first few months.

Drafts grow slower than traditional stock horses. I have always been told they grow in height until 6 years and in bulk until 8 years.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top