# What is a heavy crest



## Chaos Ranch (Apr 14, 2009)

I got an email from a man I bought some horses from because I asked his opinion on a horse and he said something about being careful about really crested horses.

What's that mean? Is it something really bad for the horse? What does it look like? Can you fix it?


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## Carolyn R (Apr 14, 2009)

A crest is the ridge along the mane. A heavy crest or a cresty necked horse is a horse that has a large abundance of fatty tissue along this ridge. Some stallions may be fit and just have a large crest, other are chunky all over and have a huge crest, sometimes it is associated with thyroid issues (horse that are eccessively easy keepers or won't easily lose weight may have links to thyroid issues) sometimes associated with founder, a crest can also get so large and heavy it can break over to one side, meaning the tissue actually gets damaged and instead of having a ridge along the mane, the horse has broken over spot (not to get confused with a thick necked horse who has a heavy mane that pulls the weight to one side).

A horse's neck can be sweated to reduce the crest or refine the neck, but when looking for an overall balanced horse it is best to find a horse that doesn't have a very very large crest to start with. Once a crest is broken over, it is not fixable. You may be able to reduce it so it isn't so obvious, but you can't repair the underlying damage.


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## pepperhill (Apr 14, 2009)

Some horses will get very thick and heavy along the top of the neck where the mane grows. It can also involve the muscles that run down the top of the neck on either side of the mane. This makes the horse look really thick and heavy in the neck area, and it is not the ideal look, especially in the show ring. The look for today is longer, slender necks, so you don't want that big, fat, "cresty" look along the top of the neck. So, a cresty neck is kind of a bad thing. Yes.

Generally, most horses, especially stallions, will get thicker and crestier in the neck as they age. That is pretty common. The problem is, if you purchase horses that are genetically predisposed to cresty necks in the first place, then they will look really thick and short as they age. The neck is an important area in the conformation of a horse. You want to try to start out with a horse as close to perfect as you can, especially if you are going to breed and/or show that horse. Then you don't have to work so hard to make your horse look like something it just is genetically not. You can "fix" a cresty neck to some extent for the show ring. There are creams and potions and neck wraps etc. These aids can really help some horses look a lot better. However, they can't fix everything. If you buy a horse with a really cresty neck to show, you are really going to have to put it through a lot to try to slim it down, and even then you may not get the results you want. Genetically, you would have to breed the horse to a mate with a "pencil" neck to try to get the crestiness evened out. No promises there either!

I think your friend was just trying to warn you off from purchasing a horse that doesn't have the best conformation in the neck area.


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## HGFarm (Apr 14, 2009)

Wish I had some pics to post, but have no examples for you.....

A cresty neck is difficult to get and keep in show shape. I am happy to say I have not had to deal with that here... even my old stallion has a great neck, and thank heavens the mare I purchased that was so obese with the thyroid problem did not develope that either.

A cresty neck can indicate other problems as well. Some horses with thyroid problems can develope that- it goes hand in hand with their over weight problems sometimes- not always!

Yes, sometimes it breaks- and the damage is not repairable. Our neighbors had an old stallion that was imported, and starved on his trip here. He lost weight rapidly and years later developed a broken crest. This horse also tested low thyroid in later years as well.... His neck, even when his weight was normal, never was fixable and always laid broken over. NOT something you can hide in a show ring.

The only pic I could find of a broken one was of a rescue donkey, but you will get the idea.... You see the top of his neck is now down on the side.. and his mane is too. Poor little guy. He was allowed to get really fat, and also foundered.


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## Chaos Ranch (Apr 14, 2009)

Thanks ya'll. I think I understand now, you have done a great job explaining it. That poor little donkey, it makes him look very sad.

I really hated to sound stupid about something that I should have known, it's a little embarrasing that I didn't know that already.





After getting a pretty good idea here of what a thick crest is, I wen to google and image searched it. I think I can identify a thick crest now. And, I know another reason not to let a horse get obese. I learned the hard way not to let them get obese because I lost a mare to hyperlipemia. But the vet said that sometimes a skinny horse can die of that as well. Sometimes the more questions I ask, the more confused I get lol....

Thanks again! I appreciate ya'll taking time to help me understand.


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## targetsmom (Apr 14, 2009)

This may be more than you wanted to know, but there is a TON of information here about heavy crests and why they are a risk for founder.

http://safergrass.org/articles/risk_laminitis.html

Cresty necks can also be a sign of insulin resistence and a good reason to put the horse on a low starch diet. They are certainly undesirable - especially because of the risk of founder - but not the end of the world if they are managed properly.


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## ~Dan (Apr 14, 2009)

Wate, I have a mare with a heavy neck and the crest is flabby, nothing like the donkey above, but enough that it moves when you comb out her mane, her foal dosent have it tho, but she did get fat over the winter and Im working on reudcing her pudginess, should I be worried, the vet should be out in a few days anyway for spring vaccinations, Ill ask then, but any foresiight would be greatly appreciated


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## midnight star stables (Apr 14, 2009)

No Dan, some horses are like that!



Nitro has a slightly broken crest but with some sweating, it is nearly unnoticeable.



It doesn't bother them really, it just isn't thee pretties thing. Stallions are ofter cresty. My midnight has a fully broken crest from years with a HEAVY mane - That's just how the cookie crumbles.


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