I have heard people refer to this as a conformation fault, but I also know that proper work can build topline muscle and “fix” this.
Is it truly a fault with the conformation of the horse, like something that can be helped by correct work but will never really go away because that’s how the horse is built, or is it just a muscle pattern that will go away with proper work?
Some horses it is a conformation issue. No amount of proper work (if they can even do proper frame work) will fix the way their body is put together.
Other horses bad muscling is the issue and can be fixed.
Any horse ridden “upside down” or from the hand instead of the leg can develop a slight ewe neck, because it is easier to “elevate” by bulging the chest and neck than rocking back. Often these horses were pushed too quickly or lacked the musculature for the frame they were put in. The individual’s build will also contribute. This would be a false and correctable ewe neck, but it takes time.
A horse that is built with a ewe neck, meaning the flaw is there whether or not the horse is in work (often with a hollow in front of the withers), can be managed but not corrected.
Agreed with the above. But I don’t think a ewe neck means you’ll never get a nice shape out of the horse. But it does require lots and lots of work and patience and proper riding. I’ve ridden a few (one was also quite downhill), and they’ve all been quite nice on the flat after some time.
It depends upon the actual shape of the cervical spine. If you don’t know how to see where it goes, ask your vet or body work person to point it out to you. It is “S” shaped and begins behind the ears follows an “S” shape and goes between the scapulas at a point about halfway or above halfway between the point of shoulder and the top of the wither. You really need to look at an anatomical drawing. They are not all shaped the same way. Some have a large upper curve and some a larger lower on. Some are longer, some are shorter etc.
If you have a nicely set one you can VASTLY improve it and the rest of the topline with correct work. It all depends upon what you have to work with. No matter what kind of neck your horse has, correct work will help!! Emphasis on the word “correct.”
Thanks, everyone!!
These responses pretty much confirmed what I already thought. (Isn’t it nice when that happens?) I am stuck, though, on the next step: how can you tell whether the horse is like this because of an improper way of going/muscle structure, or if it’s a spinal fault that will never truly go away?
LookmaNohands - I am really interested in the anatomical drawings. I’ve of course seen the ones of a correct spine, but I would love to see some comparisons of skeletal drawings for horses with normal spinal processes next to others with abnormalities like ewe neck. I will get on google, but if you have a link to one you’d like I’d love to see it.
The vertebrae are at the thickest part of the neck. In front of the shoulder run your hand down from the mane toward bottom of neck; you’ll feel it. A deep lower cervical curve gives you the anatomical ewe neck.
A true ewe neck is pretty unusual in my experience.
For example, many races horses will come off the track looking a bit “ewe” necked but most really are not.
Here is a good explanation, although she doesn’t have a good diagram of a horse with a true ewe neck (the pinto does not have a ewe neck, just an average neck with similarly-shaped curves, while the bay has a short lower curve and a very long upper curve).
https://sites.google.com/site/applesonhorses/confo-not-home/the-neck
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7942598]
A true ewe neck is pretty unusual in my experience.
For example, many races horses will come off the track looking a bit “ewe” necked but most really are not.[/QUOTE]
This is my general consensus as well. I have had quite a few come off the track or out of the field with no neck muscle or a bit upside down even and made them appear slightly ewe necked.
Muscling, additional weight, and proper riding usually fix it. Building muscle is hard so it isn’t an overnight process. It takes time and some take more time than others.
My current young horses is building muscle slowly. He is in no way ewe necked, but his neck is thinner. My other young horse built her toppling in almost half the time. My retired gelding built muscle easily as well. Depends on the horse. I personally see it as a muscling issue most of the time.
fWIW…what BFNE said…and anatomically there is more to it…if the neck is set low in the chest and below the withers plus it’s long …you will have an uphill awkward battle…if it’s set well up in the chest and just dips in front of withers you have a much better chance of correcting it…Also the size of the head…long skinny neck big head that’s a lot of weight in front of the fulcrum for proper balance…You need to watch the horse and see how they want to carry it naturally on their own.
There are horses poorly conformed with a low-set neck, but there isn’t the horse born with a ewe-neck, those are created by bad riders who “rein-ride”. When you know how to school the horse to lift it’s back, the ewe-neck disappears. We had a much raced OTTB come to the farm with a terrible bulging ewe-neck, he hated contact and had much resentment from his many years as a race horse. It took about a year for him to realize we weren’t going to hang on his face and that he could flex his ribcage and lift his back. At 8 years old he no longer has an upside down neck, he has a soft mouth and a nice topline!
I do think some horses are structurally ewe necked. I’ve known quarter and stock-type horses who were bred for pleasure classes and were definitely NOT round necked…
However, I agree that the neck can change a LOT. How the neck ties into the chest also can change quite a bit, which isn’t something I ever realized until I saw it happen with my gelding. The “sling” muscles which support the sternum get stronger and lift.
This is my gelding shortly after I got him. He had been unridden for approx. 6 months prior to my buying him.
This was about a year and a half later
His neck used to seem to come out from below the point of his shoulder, but now it comes out from well above. His skeleton obviously didn’t change, but the muscles and posture did. Incidentally, his typically posture has also changed to make his croup more sloped - he naturally stands under himself and with abs engaged from work.
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