An underbite (monkey mouth, sow mouth, prognathism) is a deformity in which the lower incisors extend beyond the upper incisors. All dental misalignments eventually affect the wear pattern on other teeth, making regular dental care essential.
Summary. An underbite (undershot jaw, sow mouth, monkey mouth) is a case in which the lower jaw (mandible) protrudes out further than the upper jaw (maxilla), causing the lower teeth to protrude forward. It may result from a congenital defect (common in miniature breeds), or from injury or trauma to the lower jaw.
"Parrot mouth" is a result of the upper and lower incisors not meeting because the lower jaw is too short. This condition is rather common and may seriously interfere with grazing. Figure 18. "Monkey mouth" is the opposite of parrot mouth and is seldom seen in horses.
So with the parrot mouth condition, one strategy could be to not re-mate a mare to a particular stallion if a parrot mouthed foal is produced by that mating. In improving a breed, we should always aim to breed animals with similar positives, but different negatives.
However, if your horse has a severe case of parrot mouth, the treatment used most often is surgery to fix the problem. The surgery is done by an equine orthodontic dentist most often rather than your normal veterinarian because of the extensive work that needs to be done.
Parrot mouth horses may be seen dribbling, wasting their feed and/or hay or even sometimes only chewing out the sides of their mouths due to pain related hooks in their mouth. Grazing is also difficult for obvious reasons — horses' teeth act like scissors, cutting down the grass for eating.
Foals with an overbite, commonly called a parrot mouth, have upper incisors that protrude past the lower incisors. While some breeders droop their shoulders and shake their heads when faced with affected foals, floundering in their misfortune, others pick up the phone and call the equine orthodontist.
They may try to breed mares, herd their mares and fight with other geldings. They may behave aggressively toward people and attack foals. Most of these “sexy” gelding are in their teens.
: a congenital anomaly of the mouth of a grazing animal in which the upper incisors project over the lower thus preventing apposition and interfering with normal prehension and mastication of food.
It is normal for geldings to mount mares. Some are able to copulate with mares, but that is quite unusual. It is most likely to happen when horses are fairly new to each other, and shouldn't go on past a couple of months.
The saying "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" means that you shouldn't criticize a gift, even if you don't like it very much. A gift horse, in other words, is a gift.
Our mission is to provide exceptional, results-oriented care that meets the treatment goals of our patients, parents, and therapists. We believe that every patient is unique, and our therapists are the best in their fields, creating a path forward for each child. At Monkey Mouths, family is our culture.
Approximately 70% of horses will develop wolf teeth. While these teeth usually do not pose a health risk to the horse, they are often removed in performance horses to prevent interference with the bit and to avoid traumatizing the soft tissues around the teeth leading to soreness.
Takeaways. Overriding dorsal spinous processes, or “kissing spines”, occur when two or more bony projections at the top of the vertebrae (dorsal spinous processes) touch or overlap. The exact cause is not well understood and many horses with kissing spines do not show any clinical signs.
It's simply an indication that your horse's mouth is relaxed. It can also be because you're using a copper bit. Foaming at the mouth is a sign of a relaxed, happy horse and should not be a cause for concern unless it occurs while the horse is not working or has other strange symptoms.
Licking and chewing by horses during training is often interpreted as as a sign that the horse is learning or showing “submission” to the trainer. Now, a new study suggests that this non-nutritive licking and chewing behaviour is a natural behaviour that is shown after a stressful situation.
An overjet—also known as “parrot mouth,” in which the top incisors are more advanced than the bottom incisors—can create health and welfare issues in horses, say German researchers. Surgically implanted “braces,” essentially a wire over the top teeth, can correct the issue.
Severe overshoot of the front (incisor) teeth usually does not cause a horse much trouble, and it is merely an unsightly cosmetic blemish. In many cases, however, the cheek teeth (molars and premolar grinding teeth) further back in the mouth may not meet well either.
Dixon explains that an imbalance in growth rates between maxillary (cheek bone) and mandibular (lower jaw) bone cause this disorder, which is “nearly always associated with incisor overjet or overbite.”
If she is receptive to the stallion, showing her rear and raising her tail as she would during heat then the likelihood is that she is not in foal. Although a refusal to be sired is not a guaranteed reason for pregnancy, most mare's will refuse the advances of a stallion if she has conceived.
Another theory suggests that the increased confidence and social rank that comes with age may encourage the stallion-like behavior. Some geldings may act stud-like because they were not gelded completely; they may have a retained testicle that has failed to drop into the scrotum.
Mares may suffer from a variety of genital injuries including vulval separations, vaginal lacerations and, less commonly, vaginal rupture. Possible sequelae to, and management of, these injuries are described, with additional mention of false entry by the stallion and persistent hymen in maiden mares.
Speak in a soft voice to let them know your presence.
As you are walking towards the horse you want to meet, speak to it in a soft voice. You can greet it by saying “hi” and its name. It doesn't matter what you say, as long as you use a soft, gentle voice.
The phrase 'to hear something straight from the horse's mouth' means that you heard the information from someone who has personal knowledge on the spoken matter. Example in use: “I don't believe it that she did it. I'm going to go to ask her and hear it straight from the horse's mouth.”