Young Horse with narrow chest questions

[desertmyst]

I am looking at a 4 year old horse that I was told is narrow in the chest and will sometimes hit it’s knees with the opposite foot when working. It’s a mare and I was wondering what your thoughts were on this being a trait passed on or something she will outgrow. I haven’t had too much experience with this so need some insight. I was considering breeding the mare (to my stallion who is wide chested and big bodied) and seeing if a year or two in the pasture would widen her up.

Thoughts? Otherwise a very well bred (in my breed) mare with tons of potential.

[showjumpers66]

In my experience, they do not mature out of this. She may bulk up with maturity, but she will always be too narrow. I would be concerned about this in terms of long term soundness and would feel that you would have a 50/50 chance of reproducing it.

[Mistysmom]

Every trait has the potential to be passed on however, some traits are stronger genetically for passing on. If the mare is still narrow at 4 years, I wouldn’t expect her to widen up too much more. Is she also crooked in the bones of her front legs or just narrow in the chest? Usually a very narrow chest is accompanied by another fault in the legs. If her being narrow in the chest is her only fault needing correction and everything else on the mare is fine, you could do a test breeding but absolutely make sure the stallion does not have, or pass on a narrow chest.

Be prepared that despite all this, the foal may also be narrow chested. If selling is important, this may be an issue.

[desertmyst]

Thanks! I’m not sure what else is there till I see her in person but I know I am taking a gamble and if it pays of it will be worth it I had them take a pic of her from the front and couldn’t see anything glaringly obvious.

[PNWjumper]

I can’t address the breeding side of things, but I’ve had a lot of horses over the years who were still super narrow at 4 and matured normally, albeit a little late. How does she look overall? Does she look like a late bloomer or is she relatively mature looking except for the narrow chest? Is she still growing? The ones that I’ve had that were really narrow seemed to wait until they’re done going up before they expand out.

My coming 7yo still looks like his legs are growing out of one hole. I expect him to widen out this year or next (as all of my other late bloomers have). I have some funny pictures of him when he was 5 out in the pasture with my 2yo mare and if you had to guess who was the older one you’d pick the mare with the nice broad chest. But he’s just a slow maturer.

[desertmyst]

She looks on the immature side, so it gives me hope!

[netg]

[QUOTE=PNWjumper;7518921]
I can’t address the breeding side of things, but I’ve had a lot of horses over the years who were still super narrow at 4 and matured normally, albeit a little late. How does she look overall? Does she look like a late bloomer or is she relatively mature looking except for the narrow chest? Is she still growing? The ones that I’ve had that were really narrow seemed to wait until they’re done going up before they expand out.

My coming 7yo still looks like his legs are growing out of one hole. I expect him to widen out this year or next (as all of my other late bloomers have). I have some funny pictures of him when he was 5 out in the pasture with my 2yo mare and if you had to guess who was the older one you’d pick the mare with the nice broad chest. But he’s just a slow maturer.[/QUOTE]

:lol: I referred to my filly that way - as looking like both front legs came out of the same hole.

My 4 year old is just starting to widen in her chest a bit now. She’s a very late bloomer, and I figure she’ll be more fully developed by the time she’s 8. :winkgrin: I bought her knowing she was the type to develop late, and I’m perfectly fine with that - we are taking it slowly. I’d rather her musculature develop slowly rather than cause herself damage by being too strong for her skeletal development!

[Kerole]

I have a narrow chested horse that came to me as a 4 year old. The horse is very petite all over, fine bone, long neck, tiny head, smallish feet. The chest did not improve over the years but her limbs are very correct and she moves very straight without interfering with herself.

Her first (and so far only) foal was by a tall, solid, broad stallion. The colt (now yearling) is very fine and leggy like the mare. He is definitely not broad! But his chest is an obvious improvement on the mother. It will be interesting to see how he grows.

The mare is in foal to Furstenball, a tall, refined stallion. I may get a stick insect from this cross!