My daughter has started taking lessons to learn to show my yearling in halter.  The instructor (who also happens to be the one in charge of the 4-H horse stuff) told me I should double her feed (with out knowing how much she gets fed) to make her grow faster.  I told her I wasn't going to over feed her to make her grow faster because I didn't want to ruin her joints and she told me not to expect to win anything because she was to small and most of the horse she will compete against will be 15+ hands.  I called the people I bough my mare from and asked them what my mares height was when she was shown and finished in the top 10 at Nationals (in halter) and they said at a year she was about 14 hands, and my mares full brother was only 14.1 hands when he won Reserve Grand at nationals and placed 8th at Worlds (in halter) and not to worry about her height, she was just fine.

     I'm not worried about winning, that's not the point of 4-H and this is our first time showing horses.  Besides, if we come in higher than 3rd we would have to sell and I don't really want to. But it wouldn't break my heart to have this winters hay paid for either.

     I measured her yesterday and she is 14 hands (56 inches exactly).  I thought she was huge, her dam is only 15.2 her sire was 15.  The gelding I ride is 14.2.   If she keeps growing at her current rate, when it is time to break her I wont be able to reach to mount!!

   I trust my mares breeders judgement, especially since she is big in showing halter/WP but it made me wonder.

 So, how big are your yearlings?

You are right about her feeding advice, it's crap.

Your yearlings height depends on genetics and some degree of feeding.  You can't feed a cutting horse into a 17HH hunter jumper.  Halter horses tend to mature really fast, so if her parents are in the 15HH to 15.2HH range I'd say that's the range for her.  Every once in a long while you'll find one that doesn't fit the mold but they are exceptions and not the rule.

You are also showing an Appaloosa, so even if her family has won the Worlds she won't be the same quality as a Quarter horse that has parents that won the Worlds.  I know that sounds harsh/rude/etc. but ALL the color breeds suffer from this.  I showed my Paint at the Worlds and have lots of lovely titles but I knew he wasn't as good as the QH's I worked for my trainer and catch rode for the big names at the shows.

I'm not saying the genetics are less, they just don't seem to be as competitive.  I loved showing Pinto becasue the atmosphere was more relaxed but when I rode QH shows I brought it up a notch...BAMM!

Thats entirely opinion, but I won't hold it against you.  Personally I don't like QH unless its for the kids.  Not enough..... attitude I guess and they are breeding them to big now a days.  What happende to the 14/15hand QH's? 

 Different breeds different standards/qualities to breed for.

Glad I'm not the only one that disagrees with the feeding advice.  There are a lot of foals here that are pushed to grow and then when the joints start to heat up the switch them off alfalfa to coastal and cut back the feed until joints are "better" then switch them right back to the "fast grow" diet.  I don't understand it, I'd rather have healthy horses than big ones.