I went to look at a lovely mare recently. She had a bulge, more like a protrusion, right at the base of her neck at the top of the chest muscles. Her owner said she had had it for years, that it was because she was a high headed horse. The owner also said when the horse was in shape and muscled that it wasn’t noticable.
It was significant enough I think I may have been able to hang my sweater from it, when I felt it is seemed a bit flexible, did not seem to bother the horse at all to touch it.
Has anyone else seen this or know what this could be? If I decide to go through with a purchase I would be doing a PPE, just trying to decide it I should proceed. thank you.
I’ve seen/worked with horse that have a very prominent sternum. I don’t recall it ever being a soundness issue.
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I cant say about this particular horse. But it is true that the shoulder area on a horse is very loose and they have no collar bone. I’ve been taught to ask a horse to raise the sternum and the base of the neck, and on some horses you can see a visible change right away if they have been traveling in the forehand. Also if you make them do a belly lift when you are measuring height they can “grow” an inch at the withers.
At the same time you do not want a horse that naturally carries too much chest ahead of the front legs.
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I’ve seen the ‘mono boob’ in gaited horses who are ridden poorly. One completely resolved to normal after about six months of correct riding and lateral work.
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Now that I think about it, the most prominent one I ever saw was in a young saddlebred, not fully under saddle yet.
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Moving on the forehand.
Just not in shape, and growing like a weed.
I suspect you’re talking about a pigeon breasted conformation. True, if they’re well muscled and with adequate weight it may not be as obvious. Here’s a blurb about conformation that discusses it. Also it can seem to suddenly show up as a horse ages and loses muscle tone.
Pigeon-breasted
- The front legs come too far back under the body, giving a bulky appearance to the breast as viewed from the side. The front legs lie behind a line drawn from the withers to the ground, setting the horse under himself. It is often associated with a long shoulder blade that drops the point of shoulder somewhat low with the arm bone relatively horizontal, setting the elbow more to the rear.
- A relatively uncommon fault, mostly seen in Quarter Horses with big, bulky muscles.
- Bulky breast muscles and legs set under the body decrease the efficiency of stride and swing of shoulders, thus hastening fatigue. It may interfere with the front legs, forcing them to move to the side rather than directly under horse. Causes a “rolling” gait that slows the horse’s speed, especially at the gallop.
- Should have little interfering in the sprinting sports that need rapid acceleration. The inverted V of the pectorals are important for quick turns, doges, and spins needed by stock horses.
- This conformation quality is most useful in Quarter Horse racing, barrel racing, roping, and stock horse sports where a low front end crouches & the horse makes quick turns.
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No, this and pigeon breasted are two different things.
I bet you can have both faults, but the sternum is just… prominent. It’s a hard feeling protrusion, not muscle. And just in the center of the chest, a little high. (this is my experience with it, the OPs might have been different!)
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It’s not a fault. It’s more obvious in young horses, as they grow and their musculature fills out it becomes less obvious. That bony protrusion is the cranial aspect of the sternum, and is the area where there is significant muscle attachment girdling to it. I’ve seen it in quite a few young WBs and DHHs.
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Yup, this, the horse is middle aged. But not ridden for the past several years.
