What are they using to get the necks?!

[Cam Eq]

I’m not saying I want it on my horses, just asking what they are using!
On some show horses/ponies they have huge cresty necks, giving the appearance of a big front. Like stallions necks but on mares and geldings too. I don’t think it’s muscle, it’s too big. It could be an accumulation of fat from years of over feeding for the show ring. But it looks very unnatural. Injected?

 

[Dave's Mam]

Probably fat.

 

[Cam Eq]

Probably fat.

I suppose being as fat as some of them are is very unnatural and it all piles up but there’s something more...

 

[ArklePig]

I can't comment on mares, but I know a lovely 18 yo gelding with a massive chest and topline and a nice big bum- he wasn't cut until he was well matured. So I'm sure that accounts for some of them regards to unnatural stuff, haven't a clue what they could use to achieve that but I'd be interested to know if there is something.

 

[holeymoley]

Absolute junk food. Full of starch and cereals and goodness knows what else . Nasty stuff.

 

[Equi]

high calorie diet, obese and untreated ems probably.

 

[Red-1]

Fat.

They are also ridden so they go the right way up, but much of the crest is fat.

 

[ycbm]

Yes, fat and stood in short side reins for lengthy periods like top showing bod Lynn Russell was unwise enough to post about a few years back.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/another-reason-to-boycott-baileys.782223/page-3

 

[Rowreach]

Obesity in show horses is one of the biggest welfare issues out there - not helped by the likes of H&H printing photos of grossly overweight animals and using showing producers as columnists.

I have a very smart cob mare, who I know would do well in the show ring if I pumped her full of food, but I'd rather she was fit, lean and healthy and never saw a cob class in her life.

 

[holeymoley]

This ?? 100%

Mine was quite successful showing in his younger years but in hindsight he was very overweight. After a very large wake up call, changing management and doing my own very lengthy research in to feeds he is quite lean now. I took him to a showing show for a bit of fun and he got placed last in every class compared to others who struck off on the wrong canter lead/pratted about. I can only imagine it was because he was very lean as opposed to being obesely round and cresty. That was it for me. I won’t be stepping foot in a showing show again unless it’s for a bit of fun. I’ll stick to dressage!

 

[jnb]

My cob has a good neck and hasn't been pumped full of anything? He's just a cob (and SOME of these cobs - if that's what we are talking about - have "creative" hogs which give them the illusion of having a bigger neck than they really do).

Mine (will probably get flamed for him being overweight, he's not he is a HW cob and fed rough grass, meadow hay, Equimins Advance and Thunderbrooks Hay Cobs)
PS He is very dirty and happy in this pic having been naked and rolling in the dust

 

[Winters100]

Personally I am really shocked by the state of some that I see photographed in HH, to me they simply look obese. I don't really understand how you can have these 'hunter' classes when the winning horse looks as if it would not last 10 minutes out hunting. Personally I believe that it is no different for horses than humans, and that having them overweight is simply storing up problems for the future.

 

[scats]

The showing world horrifies me if I’m honest. A have a few friends on Fb who are really into showing M&Ms and the pictures regularly shared are of cresty, seriously obese ponies in a ring with a load of other dangerously obese ponies. The problem is, many of them are seriously successful. Until judges start penalising people for overweight animals, the problem is going to get worse and worse.

 

[Rowreach]

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/how-to-show-a-cob-527288

So they use this photo and then at the end of the article they say, don't show a fat horse

 

[Patterdale]

It’s a combination of fat, and long hours in side reins

 

[jnb]

Not ALL horses that are shown are fat, and not all spend hours in side reins. Mine's never had side reins on and I would never allow him to.
Showing is the devil incarnate apparently, here on HHO. As with everything some riders and producers give us all a bad name. That said, there are only a handful of producers I would trust with my cob (not that I would have him produced as it is my dream to qualify for Search 4 a Star which is amateur only)
And even then I would monitor VERY closely and turn up early for any appointments I'd made. Heard too many horror stories about steroids, side reins, wire bits etc etc.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/how-to-show-a-cob-527288

So they use this photo and then at the end of the article they say, don't show a fat horse

Ironically, I believe that is a photo of Jovian. The ID which caused public outrage when he won at HOYS as a Maxi Cob I believe

 

[maya2008]

As above, if you cut a gelding later, he'll look more like a stallion as an adult.

 

[jnb]

Ironically, I believe that is a photo of Jovian. The ID which caused public outrage when he won at HOYS as a Maxi Cob I believe

That's not Jovian, to my knowledge Simon Reynolds never rode him in the ring except as a judge. I believe this to be Copenhagen II

 

[holeymoley]

My cob has a good neck and hasn't been pumped full of anything? He's just a cob (and SOME of these cobs - if that's what we are talking about - have "creative" hogs which give them the illusion of having a bigger neck than they really do).

Mine (will probably get flamed for him being overweight, he's not he is a HW cob and fed rough grass, meadow hay, Equimins Advance and Thunderbrooks Hay Cobs)
PS He is very dirty and happy in this pic having been naked and rolling in the dust

I wouldn’t say your guy is the type OP is talking about. Your guy is lovely! He’s clearly a heavy set cob, he looks well proportioned and muscly. The ones OP is referring to are the ones that you can see the fat pads and the big cellulite hind ends.

 

[humblepie]

Another to say don't tar all those who show the same. My horse was produced, yard used no gadgets or gimmicks, just proper work and proper schooling. Horses were not fat but fit and well muscled. Some of the show horses did hunt over winter and had lots of turn out.

 

[Cortez]

Yes, there are lots of obese animals in the show ring, but not every horse with a big crest is fat. A lot of neck shape is to do with proper training and the horse's conformation.

 

[Snowfilly]

You can get a nice neck with good basic conformation, lots of work on the correct muscles and being a bit clever on the hogging or plaiting to make the crest look bigger.

You can also get a big crest by stuffing a horse full of fat and starch, which takes much less time and effort.

 

[Pinkvboots]

My Arab was cut at 4 his always had a good neck his not constantly in side reins his not obese either, I have done a bit of Arab showing and I have seen a few fat horses put down the line for being too fat, the judge has actually told the owner why thet were put last so not judges like fat horses.

I must admit I find the native classes seem to be the worse for obese horses, I have been to a lot of the bigger county shows so seen a variety of classes.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I’m not saying I want it on my horses, just asking what they are using! (edit)

Injected?

I want to know what the OP thought these horses were injected with?

 

[Cam Eq]

Not ALL horses that are shown are fat, and not all spend hours in side reins. Mine's never had side reins on and I would never allow him to.
Showing is the devil incarnate apparently, here on HHO. As with everything some riders and producers give us all a bad name. That said, there are only a handful of producers I would trust with my cob (not that I would have him produced as it is my dream to qualify for Search 4 a Star which is amateur only)
And even then I would monitor VERY closely and turn up early for any appointments I'd made. Heard too many horror stories about steroids, side reins, wire bits etc etc.

Agreed

 

[Cam Eq]

I wouldn’t say your guy is the type OP is talking about. Your guy is lovely! He’s clearly a heavy set cob, he looks well proportioned and muscly. The ones OP is referring to are the ones that you can see the fat pads and the big cellulite hind ends.

Yes, jnb yours is naturally fab?. It’s the fake looking ones I’m wondering about ?

 

[Cam Eq]

My Arab was cut at 4 his always had a good neck his not constantly in side reins his not obese either, I have done a bit of Arab showing and I have seen a few fat horses put down the line for being too fat, the judge has actually told the owner why thet were put last so not judges like fat horses.

I must admit I find the native classes seem to be the worse for obese horses, I have been to a lot of the bigger county shows so seen a variety of classes.

Yes, I compete Connemaras and that’s where I’m seeing it

 

[Orangehorse]

A lady I know was telling us that she bought a cob that was a rig. They paid for the operation to have it gelded and then they sold it to a Very Well Know show producer when it became a very famous champion Horse of the Year show cob.

 

[Cam Eq]

I want to know what the OP thought these horses were injected with?

That’s what I don’t know! It might be steroids. I just think it looks so fake. Even if the body isn’t overly fat they have these huge crests! I know some of these Connemaras and know they weren’t gelded later. They have these pads in their necks similar to implants. I would add a photo but I’d have to steal it from Facebook!!