How do horse show people get their yearlings so tall?

Question

Every show I went to I got last place with my yearling colt because he was the shortest. I know I asked the stewards and they said that is their best guess. There were several that were almost 16 hands! His dam is 15.3 and his sire is 15.2 so he has some height in his blood. He will be 2 in March and right now he is about 14.1. So my question is what do the people that show in halter give their horses to get them that tall so fast? I heard probios will, but I've been giving him that for over six months and haven't seen much change.

I started giving him probios because he was eating his manure while he was in his stall. I asked our vet and he said that he may be lacking some gut bacteria and probios was good for replenishing it and also since he was a show horse for any stress he was under it was a good idea to keep him on it for the travel and being at shows and it was good for after wormings and any time you change feed. I didn't put him on it so he would grow but to keep his insides in good condition.

Let me put it this way. Every show I have gone to and competed in all the horses were placed from tallest to shortest with tallest getting first and shortest last. Exactly. There was a guy there from my first show that kept complementing on him for how well he looked for me just starting out.

Answer 1

In halter classes, height does have some weight, but not as much as conformation and conditioning. And a steward is not who you ask. You ask the judge during a break, as long as you are done with your showing for the day. And be prepared for an answer you may not like. A lot of the halter horse yearlings you see are bred to be tall, bred to be born early in the year, and then they are fitted and conditioned within an inch of their lives. And shown by professional handlers. And yes, I have seen steriods used, but they produce more muscle than height. I hav shown halter horses for a lot of years and it took me awhile before I realized that some of the horses I started out with where not really meant to be top flight halter horses, but went on to excell in performance events. The halter classes can be great experiences for a young horse to get used to the hustle and bustle of showing.

Edit: You say you are just starting out. It is very hard to win against the pro handlers who have conditioned and fit their colts since day one. And there are amatuers out there who have the high dollar halter horses that are more than likely going to win every time out. Unless you went out and spent a small fortune on a halter horse that was already winning, it is a hard class to compete in. You have to step back and look at your horse with a critical eye. Is he as fit as possible? Is his coat in optimum condition? Is his tail neat and clean? Are his feat trimmed to the correct angle? Is his conformation outstanding? Is his mane banded neatly? Hooves polished? Halter clean and well fitting? Eyes, ears, muzzle trimmed? Show sheen and facehighlighter applied? How clean is professional is your outfit? A good way to learn what the judges are looking for is to video the class. And then compare your horse the ones winning. Or ring steward a few halter classes and ask questions from the judges about the placings. As far as placing or winning goes, most halter horses never do anything but halter. That is what they are bred for and nothing else. Most of my horses could not win a halter class if they were the only ones in it. But they can do multiple events, where halter horses are just limited to "lead and feed".

Answer 2

To be honest, I have never put a lot of stock in what a yearling, or even a two year old, does at halter. Some of the ones that grow faster also grow unevenly, so that they are not as balanced. I never got concerned about size until the knees started to close up, because that's when they really start to develop.

And back in the 60's and 70's, there was an AQHA breeder in Southern California who was so notorious for having "early" foals that did very well at halter as yearlings, that they used to send an inspector out from Amarillo along about November/December, just to have a look around.

While I always liked a good-looking horse, I placed more value on performance. And when we had one filly that never did top 14.1, even though her sire and dam were both about 15.3, we gave her to some friends with a riding school, where she became the most ferocious pony jumper you ever saw.

Answer 3

You have two parts in this question.
First, was your horse actually placed last in his classes due to the fact that he was the shortest? I think that asking the ring stewarts did you no good at all. Many of them are trained horse people, but they are not judges and even if they were, they were not judging that day. They may not have been experienced or observant enough that day to give you a totally true answer, perhaps they were just being polite, perhaps they didn't study every horse carefully. Instead I would suggest hauling your horse to a top halter training professional and paying him to evaluate your young horse. Does he have the body? The straight legs? The pretty factor? Is he fitted properly? Are you showing him good enough to compete with the trainers? Sometimes all it takes is a few tiny things to move from the bottom of the class to the top - perhaps your horse's bottom line needs toning or perhaps you need to set him up slightly differently. Pay the money and get the info. But be aware that your horse might not quite be the one, and you'll have to decide if you want to do something differently with him, or else buy another horse to fill his shoes.
Secondly, how do show people get their yearlings so tall? (Let me state at first that really tall young horses are NOT a plus in my opinion as they are at increased risk greatly of developmental joint problems, colic and founder) First, genetics. Many halter horses get tall, but not only that, they are bred to get tall early in life. Just as some people get growth spurs as young kids, and some don't go through them until they are much older, horses are the same way. You cannot change genetics, perhaps your horse will continue to slowly grow and one day catch up to the others, perhaps not. Secondly, height comes from opitimal feeding (Once again, not optimal in my opinion) Buy some books on fitting your horse for halter, speak to equine vets, etc and discover what you can do to improve your program. Suppliments can help, but you need to be careful. Many halter horses are on huge amounts of grains/carbohydrates, and once again this is an area that you need to carefully research before attempting as it's easy to cause problems.
One other option you might consider is sending your horse to a halter pro for a few months. Pros have the equipment, knowlege and facilities to achieve what you might not, even with your specific horse. If that doesn't interest you, then perhaps you will need to rethink what you want to do with this young horse, and then aim that direction. Many horses that aren't quite halter horses can succeed in an easier ring such as the novice amateur classes, or the Open show circuit. And halter horses that are a bit too light can go on to be riding horses, perhaps that's where your horse's strengths lay. Have fun and enjoy the experiences on your way to showing your horse.

Answer 4

For the most part it is breeding. Most adult halter horses are huge. I used to work for Jerry Wright Quarter Horses here in Arkansas. The halter horses where the largest in the barn. They breed them for size and mass. Most of the halter horses in Jerry's barn were 16+ hh. So 15.2 or 15.3 hh would seem rather short next to them. But it's genetics. My 3 y/o is 16.2 hh, as a yearling she was 15.3 hh. Her dam is 16.3 hh and her sire is about 15.2 hh. She got her build and body from her dam and her head and color from her sire. Thank God she also got her movement from her dam. Let's just say that if the mare had been mine when she was bred, that stud would not have been in my top 100 choices, much less the no. 1 selection(back yard breeder). To compete in the halter ring you have to breed the same way everyone else is breeding. Which is why I stick to performance classes.

Answer 5

My horse was a shorty when I bought him at 1 1/2 years. He's almost 3 now and just recently shot up in height. On the other hand, there is another gelding at the farm who is the same age as my boy and he was taller as a 1 1/2 year old, but hasn't gained much height since, he's just filled out a little more. Different horses grow at different rates, just like people. I don't think you should supplement your horse's diet to try to encourage height or muscle. A well balanced diet of good quality hay/feed, access to a mineral block, fresh water and exercise will let your horse develop into the size he was meant to be.

Answer 6

Many people have their foaling starting in February (sometimes even January) so the horses have time to grow more before being shown in halter classes. Height is not supposed to be the deciding factor for placement in a halter class, conformation is. Unfortunately, politics is most often the determining factor. Unless your vet recommends a certain supplement, don't mess around with them too much. Causing too much growth too fast can cause more problems for you. As long as your horse is on a nutritious diet, he will reach his height/weight potential when he's all grown up. I do suggest a youth feed ration like Nutrena Youth.

Answer 7

They could be older than yours, by a few months at least. People get way too hung up on height, that's not a deciding factor as to how good of a horse he is, like color. Over supplementation is very hard on their systems and being that he is young be careful, you don't want to set him up for problems later in life. He may be showing up those tall horses when he's under saddle, right now he's just biding his time til the fun begins!

Answer 8

it may depend what breed, but some breed associations horse's birthdays are all on a certain day, like january 1. if the horses are born earlier in the year, they will be older. we had an arab that was born very late in the breeding season, so when she became a yearling, she was only 3 months old, while other horse were 9 months old. you can't really make a horse taller, they just run their course.

Answer 9

Young horses generally grow quicker but some slower than others, just like people. Keep trying as he gets older. There will be yearlings smaller than yours soon!!

Answer 10

Do not mess around with too much food or some kind of drugs or horomones. That's how youngsters get growth issues, go lame early, whatever. Slower controlled growth is far better!!!