Measuring a yearling to work out expected mature height?

laceyfreckle

laceyfreckle

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2007
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Essex/Suffolk
I was told ages ago that the way to work out a foals mature height is to measure their foreleg and then double it upwards (not explaning it very well) can someone confirm

a) where i should be measuring from and to?
b) If they know of any cases where it has been acurate or not acurate?
c) I was told its fairly accurate for yearlings and older, so would it be fairly accurate on a 12 month old?

if anyone knows of any other ways of estimating adult height - please add:)

I have measured the way i *think* it is meant to be done and it makes a 11hh 12 month old have a expected mature height of 13.1hh does that sound about right?
 
The cannon bone doesn't grow much from birth, while everything else does!

Get a flexible tape measure and hold the end on the 'dent' that you can feel right in the middle of a youngsters knee joint (at the front). Then run it down the leg following the contour of the fetlcock and stop at the corronet band. The measurement will give you a 'rough' guide to the over all adult height. For example, if it reads 15 and a quarter inches, it'll be 15.1hh ie, quarter of an inch with be quarter of a hand (1 inch). So 13 and a half inches will be 13.2hh.

Does that help?

Another way is to get a piece of bailer twine and run it from the point of the elbow in a straight line to the ergot. Then remove the end from the ergot (keeping the other end on the elbow) and pivot it upwards from the elbow to get another rough height - however this method doesn't give you a measurement as you then have to just 'eye-ball' where the end is unless you have a friend standing next to you with a measuring stick!
 
CollieDawg said:
The cannon bone doesn't grow much from birth, while everything else does!

Get a flexible tape measure and hold the end on the 'dent' that you can feel right in the middle of a youngsters knee joint (at the front). Then run it down the leg following the contour of the fetlcock and stop at the corronet band. The measurement will give you a 'rough' guide to the over all adult height. For example, if it reads 15 and a quarter inches, it'll be 15.1hh ie, quarter of an inch with be quarter of a hand (1 inch). So 13 and a half inches will be 13.2hh.

Does that help?

Another way is to get a piece of bailer twine and run it from the point of the elbow in a straight line to the ergot. Then remove the end from the ergot (keeping the other end on the elbow) and pivot it upwards from the elbow to get another rough height - however this method doesn't give you a measurement as you then have to just 'eye-ball' where the end is unless you have a friend standing next to you with a measuring stick!
Click to expand...

hi, thanks....i did the second method:) i measured from point of elbow to ergot and with a straight fabric tape and then marked on the stable door where it was, pivoted it and marked on the door again and then measured the top mark on the door in hands with a measuring tape measure. It said 13.1hh.

i thought she would probably be smaller then that at adult height though bring only 11h now?
 
we always add 2 hands to the height at twelve months to get a rough idea, its much easier that the string test when you have to get throught lots of babies quickly, so 13 hands to 13.1 would probably right for your yearling.
 
Going by the other method that at 12 months they are about 90% of adult height, It makes your yearling 13hh at maturity.

Calli was about 13.3/14hh as a 12 month old. She is expected to reach 15.3/16hh,which has also matched the height given as a result of using that string method.
 
thank you everyone. Just wanted to make sure as have had some people phone up about her but they wanted to know what i thought her mature height would be. As i don't know what parentage she has it is hard to go by breeds/what she looks. I had put her actual height in the ad.
 
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