Hi Mike,
I saw your post where you stated you ride drafts. I'm not real familiar with drafts and was hoping you could answer a simple question. Is it common for Drafts to have cresty necks? I have one mustang that I think is very drafty...he was captured out of a herd that DNA's back to the Cleveland Bay (McCullough PK HMA in WY)
The gal I got him from had him on a diet because of his cresty neck and fear of founder, but his hip bones stuck out, so I put some weight back on him until his body looked healthy and his hip bones stopped protruding so much, but his neck crest got bigger too. My thoughts are his crest is normal for his bloodlines...am I wrong? He is healthy in all other aspects and has good hooves.

This is him now...


and the day we bought him...it's hard to se because of the saddle, but his backbone stuck up some as did his hipbones...


What are your thoughts on this?

IMO, the second picture, the one under saddle, looks terrible. The top picture looks almost just like my pony. Just in my experience, a Draft will have a much thicker neck than a Light horse.
What are you feeding him?
Emmett Dalton is 16.1 hh and about 1750 or so. Emmett gets a #3 coffee can of 17% alfalfa pellets, a #3 coffee can of beet pulp (soaked) and 2 cups of oil per feeding. Drafts do not do well on a grain diet.

Contact me;
Shotgun693@aol.com

Thanks Mike, that's what I thought too. The saddle picture was taken the day we bought him, the gal I bought him from explaied his diet to me and why she had him on one and how I needed to continue it, and although she is a great friend of mine, I didn't agree (but didn't say so) After I brought him home, I put him on 2 thick flakes of grass/aflafa mix in the am and 3 thick fakes at night plus a cup of oil and a cup of BOSS, and slowly added another 100 or so pounds on him as you can see in the top photo. Th gal came over not to long ago...she didn't say anytihng to me but I could see that she wanted to and bit her lip...that's why I wanted to ask you so I am prepared to explain to her that a crested or thicker neck is normal for his obvious breed type.
I don't know what he weighs, but he is 15.2 hands and almost as wide, lol. He's 16 years old, and his original adopter (not the gal I bought him from) obviously used him as a pack horse evidenced by the matching white hair scars on each side, to high to be from stirrups, to far back to be from a cinch or regular saddle...looks like a diamond type hitch on a pack saddle caused the scars.
I still can't figure out why on earth this boy was headed to Caval before it closed...he is bomproof and very sweet..just doesn't know a whole lot under bridle, but improving regularly.
Sorry I got to rambling, lol. and thanks again for your thoughts on him!

Oh, forgot to mention, I don't grain either...mustangs don't typically do well on grain either, and many mustangs have been found to have insulin resistance, which grain would only exaserbate.

I feed a 60/40 Alfalfa/Grass hay, which around here is hard to come by, most dealers only sell straight alfalfa, which imo, has proven to be to rich for the mustangs. I also suppliment with a senior pellet if/when I'm wanting to add more weight, and add the oil to that. Outside of tha, the only other thing I suppliment with is 1/2 to 1 cup of BOSS. Mustangs tend to be very easy keepers and don't do well on rich feeds or additives. imo.

All Draft breeds also fall into 2 types. The Hitch Horse who tend to be taller, usually not as stout and have more knee action. The Farm Type, shorter, stouter and not the lively kneee action. They aren't seperate breeds just types. I've owned both. The Hitch Horses tend to move out quicker under saddle. Emmett Dalton will just plod along if he gets his way.

Interesting stuff Mike. I don't know much about drafts. I do go out to the maple syrup collecting contests to watch the draft teams work, and there are some people around here that still do logging with drafts. They tell me that logging with horses is coming back now. It is better for the land than machines are and they can be more selective in what they take. Machines have to make a road to get to the best trees so they must destroy many trees just getting back to get a few good ones. Horse teams can get back there without destroying the land and take the best tress and pull them through the woods and out to a main road were trucks can take over.
I have always liked the draft breeds. I think they are the gentle giants of the horse world.
some of the wild horse herds do show a lot of draft in them. Mainly in areas where there were large farms or teamster companies. When the modern ways started to take over the horses were turned loose and mingled with the wild horses already out there.
At the NJ adoption last Aug. there was a rather large (over 15 hands) Mustang that had what I thought was a strangely shaped neck, similar to Lona's above. For a moment I thought something was wrong with him but one of the people that came out to adopt told me that he just had a lot of draft in him. He ended up taking that one as it was just what he was looking for, a real drafty mustang.
The largest one I have seen was called a Shire I think. Man was that a big horse!!!!!

As you get older, most of my Cowboy days are behind me, you learn to appreciate the big easy going guys. I will tell you that Drafts tend to learn slower than a Light Horse but are way more forgiving when you make a mistake.

Mustang Blue, I have two small young drafts. Both have very strong necks that are thick along the mane. This is normal. Neither horse is overweight. Both are healthy and fit. No grain. One gets Timothy hay. The other needs a low sugar hay.

Thanks Goldpony & Mike!
I will say this much, he is a very layed back peacful kinda fella My 13 year old daughter rode him in his very first parade last summer and they did awesome! (even if they did look a little silly with his painted red mane, lol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGbqCKgAdUQ
Only problem now is my daughter is wanting somthing with more "spunk"....but dad and I aren't quite ready to turn her loose on a feistier one yet, lol

Take a look at the Friesian. They ae usually lumped in with Drafts but are IMO the finest looking horse in existance. They are somewhat more frisky too.

oh gee thanks Mike...you just had to bring up THAT breed didn't you!?! lol.
That's wht my daughter keeps hounding me for....you ever priced one of them!
She can just be happy with her mustang or no horse at all, lol

Find a Friesian with a couple of white hairs. They can't be used for show or breeding according to the Standards. They usually a couple of dollars cheaper. :-)
The other option is to tell her that she can cross a Draft and a Mustang. The crosses are very popular for riding. I had a Morgan/Percheron that was a great horse capable of covering a lot of ground.