# Remedies for a cresty neck? What to do?



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Crest by itself isn't a big deal. I would be concerned why they have the crest (weight?).

It is normal for a Haflinger to have a crest, part of the body type (small draft), however a very large crest and/or fat deposits are obviously an issue.


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## budley95 (Aug 15, 2014)

I've had the vet out for a completely separate thing at the moment and have been told off for my boys cresty neck - as unfortunately it all comes down to the fact he's fat... He's been put on a diet of 1.5kg of hay soaked for 24 hours in 3 haynets to really slow him down of a day when he's kept in his stable, strip grazed of a night and is being exercised for an hour a day. Vet said the crest is the VERY last thing to go and it's just a case of diet and exercise to get the weight of and for it to genuinely go there is no quick fix, it's the same hard slog as if we're trying to lose weight without piling it back on. Maybe we need a horse dieting support group as I know it's driving me mad!


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

None of them have fat deposits. My gelding and the new mare are at good weights. My gelding can maybe stand to loose a few pounds but he's the drafty type haflinger so he's very stocky. The new mare is more modern and a good weight. 

My other mare is drafty but she is the hardest to keep the weight off of. I could try to starve her and she will stay fat! Lol. 
Here's pics of all 3
Gelding-



Mare-


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Annnndd... The obese mare with the worst crest



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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

If there are no fat deposits I wouldn't be too worried about it. My horse has a very thick neck, and I got pretty paranoid about it after a "nutritionist" (I use the term loosely) who came out to my barn told me he was cresty and I should be worried about it. When I asked my vet about it she was able to demonstrate to me another horse at our barn who really did have cresty fat deposits indicative of IR.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

The new mare I think looks good, in fact less of a crest then I would expect. Not sure with the gelding if it's just build or "extra" and as you said the mare is fat haha (she's pretty though!).

FWIW my MFT gelding was obese when I got him and even when getting the weight down never really lost the crest. He has since been diagnosed with Cushings and is now thin, but still has the crest. Idk how much of that is related to his health issues though.

Remission or something might work, magnesium, etc. Again the "why?" is more important imo.

ETA- in response to the previous post my horse has never really had fat deposits either (anywhere).


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

Hard to tell on the first guy but the last mare doesn't look that bad. I wouldn't be worried about it


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Some pictures of my Cushings/IR MFT.

imgur: the simple image sharer

It's several inches. Tried to pick pictures where you could see the line of his neck and the line of the crest (therefore excuse the awkward angles lol). The heaviest weight in these is "slightly overweight" most are good, he's just very long and stocky. Luckily it doesn't look bad on him and isn't that huge, but he does have health problems. (I think many of these pictures are from before he was diagnosed).

Again for a draft type breed I don't think your horses look bad. Giving your mare something to help with the overall weight may be good though.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

The chubby mare has a very hard crest. It was never there when I got her but I also rescued her off the slaughter truck so god only knows if she was actually fed right at her old home. 

The gelding has a squishy but alittle hard crest and the mare at a normal weight has a squishy crest. 

The vet convinced me last year that my gelding was obese and needed to loose 100# then. So she had me put him on thyroid meds without testing him first. He was on them for about 3/4 months and I saw nothing but my money going out the window so I stopped using it. 
This was my gelding last year when the vet told me he needed to loose 100#. He was at his best weight then but still had the crest. 


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Hard I would be more worried about particularly with the overweight factor.


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