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  Discussion on Narrow chest
Author Message
Member:
Christos

Posted on Thursday, Feb 26, 2004 - 6:38 pm:

I am puzzled with one of our mares. Her chest is so narrow that her front legs almost rub against eachother.
I'd think that with conformation like this she'd have zero lung and heart volume, but despite her lean 15 hands, she outlasts and outruns any other horse.
Am I wrong to think that a narrow chest would impair athletic ability? She suggests I don't have a clue...
Member:
Gillb

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 3:12 am:

Hi Christos, I also have a Morgan with what I'd call a narrow chest - perhaps not quite so narrow as your mare but still not a lot of room between those front legs. I also have a pony who has an extremely wide chest and a 'leg at each corner'.

Now my Morgan has miles more stamina than the pony and always has done; it's never affected his athleticism one jot. He finds dressage and lateral work easy (his narrow chest is probably an advantage here). I'd also say he'd make a good endurance horse!

Member:
Gillb

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 3:15 am:

I also meant to say the only problems I've ever had with him due to being narrow, are that sometimes he speedicuts (cuts into the opposite leg) when he's messing around in the field - but never when he's being properly schooled. Even this hasn't happened often.
Member:
Gillb

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 3:17 am:

I also meant to say the only problems I've ever had with him due to being narrow, are that sometimes he speedicuts (cuts into the opposite leg) when he's messing around in the field - but never when he's being properly schooled. Even this hasn't happened often.

Another disadvantage from my point of view was that in his early days he could move sideways VERY fast, but doesn't do it so much now he is better schooled, thank goodness!!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 7:30 am:

I don't think we really have a clue Christos. It would be hard to argue that all things being equal a increased "lung area" to "body mass" ratio would be a good thing during aerobic (long distances, moderate speeds) exercise but there are many factors. In the short fast run though anerobic exercise predominates so lung capacity less important.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 8:24 am:

Couldn't the anatomy involve more length of lung in this horse to make up the lung volume? We often see this in people who are long of back but lean - on xray their lung fields show up farther down the rib cage. Stacy
Member:
Christos

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 10:21 am:

Thanks, all,
She is a remarkable horse in many ways, so I would like to discover the reason for her traits, good and bad.
Stacy, her chest is deep enough to balance the thinness (she wears a normal girth for her size) but still, it does not explain her performance.
I am thinking that her "flat" body radiates heat better, but still, her endurance is too much.
Is there any way to estimate a horse's heart volume?
Member:
Christos

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 10:33 am:

She does look like a Morgan, Gill, as far as I can tell from pictures.
No interference, despite her conformation, even with very fast work.
And yes, she's very fast sideways, but I think that this comes with a small horse anyway...
New Member:
vava

Posted on Monday, Oct 18, 2010 - 7:11 am:

Hello,

I have two females horses one is 14 yrs and one is 5 yrs.
15 yr old when she is ridden her front legs rub with each other and injures her she gets lame for week and 10 days from front leg and its hard for her even to walk.

2 nd horse her legs do not rub with each other but she gets lame after we ride her out and also while ridding her breathing is very strong .

Please advice how to take of this problem.

Nadir
Member:
canter

Posted on Monday, Oct 18, 2010 - 12:45 pm:

Hello Nadir and welcome to HA.

Regarding the horse that rubs when being ridden: it sounds like either a confirmational issue or a trimming issue. If it's her hooves interferring, discussing proper trimming and length of time between trims with your farrier may help. If it's a confirmational issue, then I doubt there is anything you can do other than perhaps using polo wraps or boots on the horse. Can you post a good photo of the horse's legs & feet? That may help everyone determine what the problem is.

As to the second horse - if the horse is coming up lame after work for no apparent reason, then there must be an underlying issue. It could be arthritis, a strained/damaged tendon, muscle injury, just to name a few. I would get a vet out to give the horse a thorough lameness evaluation. You don't say how fit the horse is, or how often you ride it or how long you work it or what type of work. In hard work, it is expected that the horse will be breathing heavily during intense periods of exercise. What you will need to figure out is if your horse is experiencing excessive strain. Do a search here on HA for monitoring the horses vitals, and that may help. At any rate, hard work should be rewarded with periods of rest so that the horse can recover. Even a few minutes on a loose rein helps.

Providing a few more details about each horse will help DrO and everyone give you the insight you are looking for.
New Member:
vava

Posted on Monday, Oct 18, 2010 - 3:12 pm:

Hi,

I will send pics for both the horses from the front.

The younger horse which is around 6 yrs I got her about 6 months before.In the beginning for 2 weeks she was fine and had no lameness problem but later she developed it .We have a small track of 3 to 4 km.The track is a straight normal off road track with no climbing or decending.Our normal routine is walk trott canter and some times gallop.This horse starts to breath heavily in the middle of the track as if she is choking but no cough just heavy breathing. This is the maximum excersice we give to this horse once or twice in a week if it is not lame.
Is it possible if you could suggest some steriods which we can give her and see how is the reaction.If yes then please confirm its quantity.


Nadir
New Member:
vava

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010 - 2:49 am:

Hi,

I tried to send the pics but your pic size is to small and there is no way I can make the size of the pic to 64k.

Can I mail it if yes please send me the mailing address.

Nadir
Member:
canter

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010 - 7:18 am:

For posting pictures, Nadir, follow the "Help and Information" topic to "Uploading Images and Files". That may help.
Member:
frances

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010 - 8:45 am:

Nadir, www.webresizer.com is great for reducing pics. Give it a try.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010 - 6:12 pm:

Welcome to Horseadvice Nadir,
I believe we can help you with your question but let me get you started off right so you can get the best answer as quick as possible.

You will get more responses if you start your own discussion rather than post at the bottom on another member's discussion. Each discussion is "owned" by the original poster and all replies in that discussion should either directly or indirectly address the concerns of the original poster.

To start your own discussion back up one page using the navigation bar at the top of this page. This will be a Article Page on this topic. Below the article you will find a list of already existing discussions on this topic. Under this list you will find the "Start New Discussion" button. This is a good topic on your subject so you should first review the article as it will have important information on your subject. Next check the titles of the already existing discussions to see if your question has already been answered.

If your question remains unanswered, now is the time to Start a New Discussion. Select a short title that describes your specific concern. A title like "Help!!!" does not help others find your specific topic. Instead something like "Ace for Colic?" allows others to rapidly find and understand what your topic is about just by viewing the title. This is likely to bring more responses from those with some experience with your topic and allows members to find answers to their questions quicker.
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