[Lindsayanne]

I found out that Lucy was bred as a two-year old ( ). Could this explain why she is shorter than her sire and dam? Can being bred that young sap the body's resources and stunt growth? Given that info, what do you suppose the chances are she'll throw foals larger than herself?

[Jennie'sPassion]

Wow I hope it was an accident that she was bred that young. It could have stunted her growth because she was still growing herself. I don't know how it will affect her now or future babies. How old is she now? Was her baby healthy? I hope someone can help you. I am not a breeding expert but that is to young.

[Acme Acres]

Originally Posted by Lindsayanne

I found out that Lucy was bred as a two-year old ( ). Could this explain why she is shorter than her sire and dam? Can being bred that young sap the body's resources and stunt growth? Given that info, what do you suppose the chances are she'll throw foals larger than herself?

Yes, that would/could definately stunt a horse's growth, especially if they're not supplemented with minerals/vitamins, etc. Have you done a cannon measurement to see what she should be at? How tall is she and how tall are her parents? If her growth was slowed due to being bred early, then there's no real reason she'd throw short foals.... unless it had to do with the stallion.

[CJ]

Bingo.
You might think of breeding a growing horse as "gestational starvation"-- the body will decide where the available nutrition goes, and if it goes to the foal instead of the dam, the dam gets shortchanged nutrtionally and growthwise.
What size the dam will throw is decided by her genes. She may run the risk of problems if shes small and her foals are/ run large.

[Sandra-A1]

I did find the following information online:

Evaluate your mare
One of the first things to consider is the age and breeding history of your mare. Mares can be bred as young as two to foal as a three-year-old, but it often puts unnecessary strain on the still-growing mare. Cheryl Lopate, MS, DVM, DACT of Reproductive Revolutions in Newberg, Ore. commented that breeding a two-year-old mare can cause unnecessary strain on the dam and has the potential for trauma (or rarely death) to both mare and foal during delivery. “It can stunt the mare’s growth, because once the mare is in late pregnancy and feeding the fetus, all the growth goes to the fetus.” The mare, if bred early, may not attain her full genetic potential as an adult in another words.
(here comes the part that really caught my eye!)
Also, the danger to the mare and foal during the foaling process can be increased, as the younger mare’s pelvis may not be large enough to pass a full-term foal, stated Lopate. This tends to become more of a problem in subsequent pregnancies because with each consecutive pregnancy the mare’s uterus stretches with the growth of a foal but the pelvic size does not change. So if the mare’s final pelvic capacity was stunted as a 2 year old, it may impact her ability to foal easily as a mature mare. She also expressed concerns that the younger mare’s smaller size and lack of handling may cause difficulties (both psychologically and physically) during routine procedures such as rectal exams.

Above found here: Horses Inc. Magazine

If the genetic material is there for height the horse be tall no matter how tall the sire and dam are.
It all depends on those tricky little devils we call genes!

Most definitely. Getting in foal at such a young age is very much a strain on the body. Yes, mares can and do foal fine when bred at two, but that still doesn't mean it isn't very hard on their growing bodies. Its similar to a human 15-year-old having a baby; it can happen and be "fine", but it certainly isn't easy on a very young and developing body.

As for her height, yes getting in foal that young could have affected it. However, it could also just be genetic to be honest. Does she have any siblings? Did they tend to be taller than her/tall as the parents/etc.?

She could very easily have foals that mature larger than herself, even if her height is genetic and not due to stress. Many mares do. It depends on if she carries the genes for greater height (or has them now and can't display them), and of course the genes of the stallion she is bred to.

[cowgurly02]

Oh poor Lucy....I can't beleive somebody would breed a 2 year old! Anyways, yes I took a few animal nutrition type classes in college and they told us breeding a horse that young can definatly stunt their growth. It puts all their resources into growing the baby, not growthing themselves. Poor Lucy was a baby having a baby.

[Lindsayanne]

She's just an inch shorter than sire and dam, but 2+ inches shorter than the guy I bought her from claimed she was. The last few days I've been wondering if I should cull her and not breed her, but if the chances are good she's genetically an inch or two taller that's good news.

Wow Sandra, that's interesting but kind of scary info.

Acme- good idea. That measurements won't be skewed by stunted growth?

[Acme Acres]

They shouldn't. We had a filly that was badly foundered as a yearling and we pulled all type of weight off her and almost had to starve her down to nothing to get the weight off. She was very short compared to her parents, but her cannon still showed she should be 15.2

[JBandRio]

Being only 1" shorter than dam and sire is nothing, and happens all the time. How tall were all the grandparents? Height doesn't come ONLY from the parents, which is why some horses always throw bigger, or smaller, than themselves, regardless of horse bred to, because THEY were the anomaly in the mix.

Your girl could be smaller than she "should" be if she was a surviving twin. That would mean she has the genes to throw bigger than herself, and likely would, most of the time.