Breeding For Height

 

THERE MAY BE STALLIONS THAT PRODUCE ONLY SMALL FOALS BUT CHANCES ARE IT IS BECAUSE THE STALLION IS VERY SMALL AND HAS MADE HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE SIZE OF THE FOAL. WE HAVE STUDIED THE HEIGHT DATA FOR 300 MATURE HORSES FROM FOUR MAJOR SALES AND FOUND THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION WHEN COMPARE TO THE AVERAGE PARENTS HEIGHT.

                             NUMBER OF       PERCENTAGE

                                 HORSES             OF  HORSES

4” HIGHER                  3                              1

3” HIGHER                20                              7

2” HIGHER                34                            11            19% OVER 2” HIGHER

1” HIGHER                59                            20

0”                              76                            25            59% +/- 1”       82% +/- 2”

1” SHORTER             41                            14

2” SHORTER             36                            12            22% OVER 2” SHORTER

3” SHORTER             28                              9

4” SHORTER               3                              1

 

STATISTICALLY THESE DATA GIVE A BELL SHAPED CURVE INDICATING THE DATA ARE MEANINGFUL.  SOME IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS ARE:

ONLY 1% OF THE TIME WILL THE FOAL END OVER 4” TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE OF THE SIRE AND DAM.

ONLY  1% OF THE TIME CAN ONE HOPE TO SEE A REAL SMALL FOAL THAT WILL MATURE 4” SMALLER THAN THE AVERAGE OF THE SIZE OF THE MARE AND SIRE.

BREEDING WITH AN AVERAGE HEIGHT OF 32” WILL RESULT IN A 10% CHANCE OF MINIS OVER 34”.

BREEDING WITH AN AVERAGE HEIGHT OF  31” REDUCES THE CHANCE TO 1% MATURING OVER 34”

THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT 35-40% OF  YOUR FOALS WILL MATURE TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE OF YOUR MARE AND SIRE AND 35-40% WILL MATURE SMALLER.

IT WAS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE STALLIONS USED FOR THE 300 BREEDINGS AVERAGED 3-4 INCHES SHORTER THAN THE MARES WHICH COULD INDICATE THE BREEDERS WERE MORE INTERESTED IN HEIGHT THAN IN CONFORMATION.