Why is my foal so tiny?

[RaptorSquad8]

I recently had a foal born who is absolutely tiny (she weighed under 90 pounds when she was born and at 5 months weighs 288 pounds and is 9.2hh)! I know there are some tiny pony breeds, but none of the horses in her pedigree are small at all, except for her great-grandmother, who was about 12hh. Anyone have any idea why she ended up being so small? I'm not sure how far back in the pedigree has that much impact on foals.

http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/1352893

[WinterSage]

I recently had a foal born who is absolutely tiny (she weighed under 90 pounds when she was born and at 5 months weighs 288 pounds and is 9.2hh)! I know there are some tiny pony breeds, but none of the horses in her pedigree are small at all, except for her great-grandmother, who was about 12hh. Anyone have any idea why she ended up being so small? I'm not sure how far back in the pedigree has that much impact on foals.

http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/1352893

Sometimes horses do just end up being small, I’m not sure what the exact gene is or how it works, but it does happen. I think both of her grandmothers could have an impact on her being short too.

[RaptorSquad8]

I recently had a foal born who is absolutely tiny (she weighed under 90 pounds when she was born and at 5 months weighs 288 pounds and is 9.2hh)! I know there are some tiny pony breeds, but none of the horses in her pedigree are small at all, except for her great-grandmother, who was about 12hh. Anyone have any idea why she ended up being so small? I'm not sure how far back in the pedigree has that much impact on foals.

http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/1352893

Sometimes horses do just end up being small, I’m not sure what the exact gene is or how it works, but it does happen. I think both of her grandmothers could have an impact on her being short too.

Ah, I thought that might be the case, but figured I'd ask to see what people who are more familiar with the game thought. Thanks!

[Pearl]

Sometimes horses do just end up being small, I’m not sure what the exact gene is or how it works, but it does happen. I think both of her grandmothers could have an impact on her being short too.

Ah, I thought that might be the case, but figured I'd ask to see what people who are more familiar with the game thought. Thanks!

Height, rather than just being T for tall or t for short, is a continuum. The more 'tall' genes you have the taller a horse will be, the fewer you have the shorter the horse will be. You can end up with a super tall horse from medium-sized parents because both parents ended up throwing all of their tall genes into the mix. Conversely, you can have a very short horse from medium-sized parents because both parents ended up not throwing in all of their tall genes. You would be less likely to get a very tall horse from short parents or a very short horse from tall parents, but it can be a bit of a game of chance with midling-sized horses.

[RaptorSquad8]

Ah, I thought that might be the case, but figured I'd ask to see what people who are more familiar with the game thought. Thanks!

Height, rather than just being T for tall or t for short, is a continuum. The more 'tall' genes you have the taller a horse will be, the fewer you have the shorter the horse will be. You can end up with a super tall horse from medium-sized parents because both parents ended up throwing all of their tall genes into the mix. Conversely, you can have a very short horse from medium-sized parents because both parents ended up not throwing in all of their tall genes. You would be less likely to get a very tall horse from short parents or a very short horse from tall parents, but it can be a bit of a game of chance with midling-sized horses.

Thanks!

[Shiva_Alternate]

Genes are the cause of this, you may not have very many tall or short horses. Sometimes the genes are weird with no explanation.