Does Size of horse influence racing distance

[Savana Star Dubois]

It is my understanding that majority of sprinters are short and stocky..how does size influence racing distance. What is the average size of a female and male thoroughbred..when do they reach their final height..is a 16 hands 2 year old filly born the end of February considered above average.becoming concerned that I bred a clunky horse.is it likely she will be a distance runner,,dam's other foals male and female were about 15.3..filly's dosage is 5-3-10-0-0.

[zinn21]

Size, stride, extension, heart size, lung capacity etc. all play a part in how effective a horse runs at various distances.

[lindsay_aggie]

Not all sprinters are short and stocky; take a look at Midnight Lute:

http://www.hillndalefarms.com/stallions ... ute3.shtml

His size didn't hurt his sprinting abilities. He still managed to win the Breeders Cup Sprint (twice!). I don't remember offhand how tall he is but he is massive, so much so that he had problems breaking out of the gates at certain tracks because of his size.

As far as average height, I would not consider a 16hh two year old that large. I think that more than height you have to consider how they are put together (i.e. are the all legs and length and no coordination or do they look "together" already at this age).

[lindsay_aggie]

Not all sprinters are short and stocky; take a look at Midnight Lute:

http://www.hillndalefarms.com/stallions ... ute3.shtml

His size didn't hurt his sprinting abilities. He still managed to win the Breeders Cup Sprint (twice!). I don't remember offhand how tall he is but he is massive, so much so that he had problems breaking out of the gates at certain tracks because of his size.

As far as average height, I would not consider a 16hh two year old that large. I think that more than height you have to consider how they are put together (i.e. are the all legs and length and no coordination or do they look "together" already at this age).

[Dave C]

On average I would say large horses are more likely to be sprinters than small horses. You will find horses of all sizes running at all distances and breed averages mean very little when it comes to how your horse will run.

Sprinters tend to 'look' shorter because they have longer backs which creates the illusion of shortness. There are two ways for horses to generate speed: increased stride frequency and increased stride lengths. Tall lanky sprinters generate speed with a very long stride. These horses take a little time to get rolling but once they do look out. The powerhouse sprinters are like QH's, explosive out of the gate with a very high stride frequency.

It is not a dichotomy, either one or the other, it is a continuum with some horses being successful by having a moderate stride frequency well matched to their stride length for generating speed. The important factor is that the horse is perfectly balanced between stride frequency and length front and back. If the horse has shoulders that want a high stride frequency and quarters that want a long stride length they will have to compromise by going slower. Balance front and back is critical and it is where most horses fail and so few people look for it when studying conformation of sale yearlings because it is so difficult to see even in full grown horses never mind in ones that are still growing.

[Laurierace]

I think that sprinters tend to be large and blocky for the most part, not short and stocky but its hard to generalize. I think you could stand by the paddock of upper level claimers or higher level horses and give a pretty accurate guess as to what type of race it was just by looking at the horses but nothing is set in stone. Nothing wrong with a good sprinter anyway.

[griff]

Secretariat has a dosage of 20/14/7/9/0 but somebody forgot to tell him he had to start fading at the half mile post.

griff

[KBEquine]

Mountain Top --

Our G3-winner/G1-placed sprinter/stallion. 16.2 hands & built like a QH, probably courtesy of his Cox's Ridge grandpa.



I tend to think of sprinters as big.

(Sorry I don't know how to down-size a photo so you don't have to scroll across!)

[Savana Star Dubois]

Thank everyone for your input and analysis...some of my previous conclusions have been corrected

[bdw0617]

i was always told that size matters.

[valjoe]

i was always told that size matters

especially if it's combined with a large heart...

[pokeyman]

Size is 100% irrelevant in determining distance potential.

[ireneinwa]

My large mare was the sprinter and my small mare was the distance

[FOS]

hi Savannah Star Dubois...hi bdw0617...hi all

It is my understanding that majority of sprinters are short and stocky..how does size influence racing distance. ... ...

i was always told that size matters.

When it comes to thoroughbred racehorse performance etc etc...many factors come into play. Arguably size may be one of them...

...but (when it comes to size) is there an absolute?

Examples of a couple of horses that were NOT VERY TALL and won at the highest level going a Mile-And-A-Half:
RIBOT...two-time Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, and undefeated superstar extraordinaire.
BIRDSTONE...Belmont Stakes winner.

Examples of a couple of horses that were VERY TALL and won at the highest level going a Mile-And-A-Half:
ALLEZ FRANCE...Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, filly/mare extraordinaire.
POINT GIVEN...Belmont Stakes winner...Champion 3-yo colt...Horse of the Year.

Examples of a couple of horses that were NOT VERY TALL and earned honors as a result of their Sprinting accomplishments:
GOLD BEAUTY...Eclipse winner...Champion sprinter.
XTRA HEAT...Eclipse winner...Champion filly.

Examples of a couple of horses that were VERY TALL and earned honors as a result of their Sprinting accomplishments:
MIDNIGHT LUTE...Eclipse winner...Champion sprinter...2-time BC-Sprint winner.
FOREGO...Champion sprinter 1974...plus earned multiple championship and/or Horse of the Year honors thru 1977.

Thoughts?

Respectfully

[Savana Star Dubois]

What is considered a tall male or female..what is the average hand size. My 2 year old filly is shy of 16 hands