Normally this
Myths and Facts page is changed every month.
This time, it
will remain for two months to reach as many
viewers as possible.
It will remain
for both April and May/2008
Thank You.
PARROT
MOUTH IN HORSES
The following
photos are taken from two foals of the same
age from the same pasture in the same year.
The difference is: Although both foals are
registered AQHA (American Quarter Horses),
they are not related in any way, shape or
form. NOTE: Now being seen far
to often in the Quarter Horse Breed, it may
also be found in other breeds or Cross
Breeds as well.
The first
foal has a normal bite in the pictures
below. The second foal has a Severe
"Overbite" or better known in horse terms as
a PARROT MOUTH.
Away to
often, people think or say: "Well
I didn't know or couldn't tell the foal had
an Overbite so I am still breeding my mare
and/or stallion"
..................... Yes, of course,
taking a look at the teeth themselves is the
best way to tell, but as a
horsewoman for many, many years, I can tell
an Overbite or PARROT MOUTH in any horse of
any age without actually viewing the teeth.
When that
TOP LIP is over hanging
the BOTTOM LIP by
even a little bit, (while the horse is just
standing there with no mental stress
happening) in it's life, I will bet you that
when you do catch the horse and check it's
teeth...................your going to find a
PARROT MOUTH of some degree!!!
And this is
"Hereditary/Congenital".
That is correct!!! So if you are a GOOD
horseman or woman, why would you continue to
breed your stallion/mare knowing you may
produce a life threatening DEFECT??? A
defect also that means the horse cannot even
carry a bit correctly in it's mouth??? I
guess for the MONEY in many
cases.............................. so much
for the "I
only breed and raise the best foals
speech given to people".
Or my favourite
thing said to me by one person who knows her
stallion has thrown PARROT MOUTH:
Well, only in
a few, most are good foals
.................................. So much
for the foals who suffer and the people who
buy such foals/horses. So much for them.
(this
foal was "Euthanized" at 6 months old)
She could
not have survived. She would have eventually
starved regardless of feed type
as she continued to mature since
even her Molar teeth were also not aligned
not just
her front Incisor teeth.
NOTE:
The owner of this foal still continues to
breed her mare/stallion though???
Registered AQHA foals. Because not all of
them will have it, she doesn't care???
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To see
actual teeth pictures for further Education,
simply look up PARROT MOUTH on your
computer. Or contact the AQHA (American
Quarter Horse Association) for more
information on how they feel about breeding
horses that carry this Genetic Trait.
This
document was prepared to show you that you
can tell a PARROT MOUTH without examining
the teeth.
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Horses With Jaw
Deformities
There are
two conditions affecting the teeth and
mouth of horses that are of great
importance and MUST NOT be over looked.
Number one is an
“Overshot Jaw”
or better known as a
“Parrot
Mouth”. This is where the teeth
of the upper jaw protrude in front of
the teeth of the lower jaw. This is a
Hereditary/Congenital defect and such
horses must not be used for breeding.
It is considered an unsoundness.
This is a
serious deformity and in some cases, so
severe that the horse has difficulty
feeding and in fact may not be able to
graze sufficiently to survive. A horse
uses his front Incisors to nip the grass
off and with the Incisors not being
aligned he simply cannot eat. Such
horses are also prone to Colic because
of improperly chewed food before
swallowing.
Bridling such a horse is
often impossible for the bit to rest
comfortably in the horse’s mouth,
resulting in the horse fighting the bit
and thus unable to be trained decently
and kindly.
It is also impossible to tell the
age of the horse since the teeth do
not wear down in a normal
pattern for ascertaining the age
through examination of the Incisors.
Also a horse dentist must
continually float such as horse’s
teeth if it is to have any kind of
normal teeth wear what so ever. In
severe cases, an attempt may be made
to cause the bottom jaw to extend
through Surgical Intervention. This
has yet to be proven to work.
Euthanasia is recommended for horses
with severe Parrot Mouth.
Number
two and although not seen as often as
the dreaded “Parrot Mouth” is just as
bad and is called an
“Undershot
Jaw”. This is where the teeth of
the lower jaw protrude in front of the
teeth of the upper jaw. All of the
above applies to this type of jaw
deformity also.
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Starting first of June/2008
this website will be teaching
HOW TO TELL THE AGE OF AN ADULT DOG
from photos of Adult dogs teeth
Thank You
