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  Discussion on Conformation of neck and chest
Author Message
Member:
Seraf

Posted on Saturday, Jun 3, 2006 - 6:15 pm:

Does anyone have any information on how the size of the neck and chest affect the way a horse moves,collects, etc.? My horse has a very large chest and thick neck.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Jun 4, 2006 - 1:56 pm:

There is an old saying, Daniela, which I totally agree with: Always judge a horse from back to front and from the ground upwards.
With that in mind, a horse's chest and neck are about the last things that will affect his ability and way of movement.
The ability for powerful movement and easy collection comes from huge hindquarters, hind legs that flex easily in their joints, short, strong loins and massive abdominal muscles.
Even length of stride depends mainly on the hindquarters. If the hind legs can not flex and reach way under the horse, the only extension you will get from a good shoulder is stretching of the foreleg and then putting it straight down, in a Spanish kind of fashion. This is expression, not extension. (It is funny how FEI rejects Spanish walk as an artificial gait, yet accepts the same kind of extension in trot. Go figure.)
The forehand expresses the power and movement produced in the hindquarters. Balances and steers the power. Much talk nowadays about shoulder conformation and length of stride, yet I have never seen a horse unable to stretch its forelegs completely horizontal, no matter what the conformation of the shoulder. Shoulder conformation affects the style, the way the horse will extend, in a round or sweeping movement, not the length of extension itself. However, if the whole shoulder is positioned further back than normal and it results in the front legs being under the horse, this amplified even more from the usually desired long humerus, the horse will not extend the hind legs in fear of hitting the front ones and length of stride is greatly affected. More so, full rotation of the shoulder blade will interfere with the saddle in this case, and the horse will seek comfort by not extending the leg fully. I say all this because many times this conformation is mistaken for a protruding, muscular chest. It is not and it is a serious conformation fault.
The chest itself does not affect things much. A wide chest gives the horse a wider base of balance and makes it easier to work upright, not careening into turns like a motorcycle. Crossing of the legs in lateral work is not as impressive, however. A wide chest usually means a wide girth as well, which makes sitting properly an interesting stretching exercise, especially on a big horse. Also, a wide chest is traditionally thought to characterize a horse with great weight carrying ability. I think I agree with this. Several horses with a wide chest I knew would hardly show a difference in movement when a rider was on their back.
A muscular, big neck is sometimes considered unnecessary burden on the forehand and inflexible. I do not quite agree. I like a muscular, steady neck to balance the horse's head. A neck with a very muscular base, right where it connects to the withers and shoulders, stabilises the poll and head very nicely and renders the horse able to take a beautiful contact. That said, I do not like horses with "double" necks, but that is just a matter of personal taste.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Jun 4, 2006 - 2:00 pm:

All this horrible lot said, a horse moves the way he moves. Why he moves like this or that can be a very controversial subject. Why bother?
Member:
Maggienm

Posted on Monday, Jun 5, 2006 - 2:00 pm:

Christos, you certainly have a wonderful way of explaining things.
Just last week I was looking at a horse, I extended his front leg by holding up his knee, he actually could not raise his knee to the horizontal. He has one of the straightest shoulders I have ever seen on a horse.

Daniela, I like to study conformation and understand what makes a horse move well also. I have learned there is an unknown factor regarding how a horse moves and performs. Some horses simply perform beyond what their conformation suggests they can.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Monday, Jun 5, 2006 - 5:46 pm:

Are you sure he was not simply resisting the pull, Lori?
Many times during shoeing, for instance, an inexperienced horse will resist your pulling the front leg a bit sideways or stretching the hind leg. This is not because they can not do it, it is because they are not confident enough to relax it.
Member:
Maggienm

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006 - 1:16 am:

Christos, no, I would not say that I was positive.
But he did seem quite relaxed and willing to co-operate.
New Member:
verani

Posted on Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 10:34 am:

Hi,
I need some advice on the way this horse moves and his conformation.
I have now owned my horse,Seraf, for two years. He is a 16.3 hh, 1500 lb,9 1/2 year old Oldenburg.
He was doing dressage up until 12/06 and hunters since then. He does both well, but has a significant stiffness in his right poll area and difficult to bend in this area. During the time he has been doing hunters he has lost all his hind end. He has a huge chest,and shoulder(56"inch), long topline to his neck, but short underside, thick large neck. He has a tendency to go on his forehand unless you make him collect on his hindend. He is the older type of warmblood with thick cannons and huge feet. I'm being told now he will never do well in either discipline due to his build. Also, the way he goes is the way he will go. He is very sweet, safe and is well-school. I would like some advice on the poll issue, conformation and potential for improvement
Member:
canter

Posted on Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 3:16 pm:

I would suggest posting a picture of your horse, Daniela. It's nearly impossible for anyone to judge confirmation based on a description of part of the horse.
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 4:16 pm:

Second the motion: conformation shots, please.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007 - 8:23 am:

Hello daniela,
Rather than placing your post at the bottom of another's post, you should "Start a New Discussion" to post your problem. You will receive quicker and more responses that way.

This is a good topic for your post so using the navigation bar at the top of this page click on "» Conformation »". This will take you to the the topic's article and discussion page. Check out the article if you have not yet.

If after reviewing the article you still have questions you might see if some of the other discussions that are listed below the article answer your question. If not, you will find at the bottom of list of already present discussions a "Start New Discussion" button. For more on this see Help & Information » Posting Guidelines or where did my post go?.
DrO
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