# Would a neck sweat help his neck?



## ilovestitch

Yes it should help, not sure how much, maybe someone else will be able to help you more with that but yes it will help.


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## PechosGoldenChance

If you can grab up by the base of his mane with your whole and and move it around, and it seams like there is nothing but jelly underneath (fat), than, yes. It will absolutely help.


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## smrobs

It really depends on how much of the crest is fat and how much is actual tissue like tendons and muscle. Horses can get a cresty neck for whatever reason; breeding, conformation, being cut late, being obese, etc. It probably couldn't hurt but I'm not sure how much it would really help.


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## paintluver

He was 300 pounds overweight, and I think it is still fatness in his neck, but I am not sure.


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## smrobs

It very well could be, I am sure that a neck sweat couldn't hurt and if you have one, go ahead and give it a shot.


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## PechosGoldenChance

Agree with smrobs, it won't hurt any.


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## luvs2ride1979

A diet would help your horse's neck. He could be IR or early stage Cushings. I'd look in to a low sugar, low starch diet with an added IR supplement. You should check out safergrass.org and pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings for diet recommendations. I'd also have your vet pull blood and test him for IR, Cushings, and any other metabolic disorders.

A cresty neck on an Arabian (or whatever light breed he is) is definitely not normal.


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## EveningShadows

I've never sweated a neck before so I have no idea on that part...but how do you keep such a grey horse clean with all that mud?! Or did you just pick out his clean pics? LOL!


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## paintluver

EveningShadows said:


> I've never sweated a neck before so I have no idea on that part...but how do you keep such a grey horse clean with all that mud?! Or did you just pick out his clean pics? LOL!


Bahaha, no actually he stays fairly clean (Thank god) so he is pretty easy to find clean pics of him! haha.


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## chika1235

i wish my grey horse stayed that clean!


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## paintluver

^^Haha, yeah it is really nice that he likes to stay clean!!


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## PaintsPwn

Honestly, if you're not showing him in halter, don't even put him through it. You have to religiously sweat a neck to get any results, and to maintain results, you must keep sweating them every day. 

With his thick neck, he'd need the max sweat time, plus a rigorous work out on a line to get him hot enough to his neck will sweat, and will continue sweating for two hours(max. time). During these hours, he needs to stand, tied, in a draft-free area (again, keeping him HOT and sweating, and from getting him chilled). 

I know some hardcore halter people sweat for up to three and a half hours.

Then you have to worry about skin and hair care. You're going to need to rinse him off with water, completely after you sweat him - or he's going to get itchy and irritated. Then you need a leave-in conditioner to keep the hair and skin from getting dry and brittle. 

Sweating has great results, but with great results comes great effort and a lot of hard work that just isn't worth it to you or your horse unless you're showing halter every weekend.


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## paintluver

^^Oh, that doesn't sound like what I want to do to my boy...
Is there any other way to make his neck not so fat? Lose weight?


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## PaintsPwn

Just like an overweight person, all he needs is exercise to combat the calories.


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## paintluver

So do you think just regular weight loss will help his neck? Because to me he looks a lot better than what he did before, I just can't tell if his neck is getting skinnier.
Here is when I first got him








Here is one from today


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## PaintsPwn

His neck does look better, and really I wouldn't worry about it. And he looks like he has a thicker neck anyway, but that crest has definitely reduced


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## ilovestitch

Wow he looks a lot better now even without the neck sweat. It is always worth a shot, it wont hurt anything.


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## PechosGoldenChance

Agreed. He does look like he, naturally, has a thick neck. And from the first pic to the new one, yes his neck does look a lot less flabby and more stiff


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## luvs2ride1979

You've done a great job getting him in better condition. I would work him on the lunge with side reins and under saddle with his head long and low, driving from behind. He has overdeveloped muscles on the underside of his neck, making it look even thicker. If you can get him using his hind end, back, and neck correctly, you'll see more muscle in the rear, the belly pulled up, and his neck look longer and slimmer. 

He doesn't have to go around with his head permanently low, you just have to work him enough that way to encourage proper muscle development. Don't force his head down though, as that will only compound your problem. You want to encourage his head low while asking him to drive his hind legs under himself.

My mare had similar conformation, though her neck wasn't quite as thick. 

She went from this:








(horse in the front)

To this, with proper riding and a diet ;-).


















(she was sniffing pooh piles while I was free-lunging her, lol)


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## paintluver

That is another question I had, how do I get him to lower is head/neck and use his back end?


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## Five Furlongs

I honestly think his neck looks nice!


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## paintluver

^Thank you, I just think it is a bit to fat still, but I don't know.


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## Clementine

paintluver said:


> That is another question I had, how do I get him to lower is head/neck and use his back end?


I think Luvtoride made a great suggestion about that. Lunging him with side reins will encourage him to stretch down and use his back. If you've never used side reins before, here's a basic idea of what to do with them:First you'll need to get your horse tacked up. If you happen to have a surcingle, you can use that - if not, you can get one for about $25 from Dover, and possibly less off of eBay. Of course, you also don't have to buy that - you can always just tack your horse up with his saddle pad, saddle, and girth, and the side reins will attach around the billets of the saddle. You will also need to bridle your horse, and remove the reins. (If he wears any kind of curb bit, you'll also want to leave off the curb chain).

As far as buying your side reins (if you don't have any). I prefer the ones with donuts, like these ones. 

Either way, once you have your horse's saddle or surcingle, and bridle on, grab your lunge line, whip, and side reins and head to your arena (or any flat, well-drained area). The side reins hook from the bit (the back of the snap should be facing out) to the surcingle loops or underneath the billets of the saddle, and then comes back on itself to buckle. You'll want to start off using them on the longest setting, so your horse can get used to the feeling of them. After he's trotted three or four circles around you with them on the longest setting, you can move them up one or two more, so that when he raises his head, the side reins cause contact on the bit, and the contact goes away when he stretches down. In that way, it should quickly become clear to him that it is easier and more comfortable to reach down, than to resist the pressure from the side reins. 
​Hope that's not too confusing.


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## paintluver

^Do you have any pics of what it will look like all together?


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## paintluver

I was looking on PB and found some more pics of Romeo!








^He looks like a draft!
















^Shows his neck


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## charliBum

oh gee! you shouldnt use side reins if you dont have a good idea on how to use them, rookies can make horrible mistakes, It would be perfured to get a lesson from someone rather informed on how to lunge a horse in a chambon they are simply amazing! if you like I could get a video on how to make a homemade cambon and how to use it?


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## charliBum

the chambon in work


















see how its getting him to use his whole topline, its great for toning and building muscle it also lightens the rein aids and teaches the horse that rein pressure means head down

also NEVER use the side reins with dougnuts the rubber rings on them bounce and jab the horse in the mouth OUCH!
if you have to use some use plain ones maybe with a rubber insert, but I wouldnt use them without instruction 
also I could make a quick video on how to lunge a horse if you like, a basics one?


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## paintluver

^How do you make/get one of those?


Also, really really random question, but does anyone know what type of bit the Sale barn had on Romeo. (The pictures above)


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## Sullivan17

I think if you just keep riding him it will go away.. his neck will probably still be big cuz it looks like that might be his build but it might go away. My two mares that i show constantly.. when i first got them there necks were HUGE.. but after getting them back inshape it went away.

btw He is SUPER cute!!!


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## charliBum

I will tomorrow  will get a video, it will need to be attached to a snaffle bit also


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## charliBum

oh and thats a pelham


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