Gothic Chests in Spanish Horses

A “gothic” chest or pecho gotico (in Spanish) refers to the shape of the pectoral muscles between the horse’s front legs. A gothic chest appears to look like a “church steeple” with steep sides and a pointed roof!

It is basically an arch shape. The opposite extreme is a flat and wide chest.

The ideal chest of a Spanish horse is broad, but not too broad, and in proportion with the size and height of the horse. The ideal chest is muscled.

If the chest is too wide and muscled, the horse may appear to be too heavy and move with a dishing action. A chest can also be too narrow with the legs too close together. The gothic chest often occurs on a horse with a narrow chest.

Breeders of Spanish horses do not want a low front end, so the gothic chest is considered a fault.