If that bottom pic is what the foal's mouth looks like, I'd spay her before she turned a year old. I wouldn't breed her, wouldn't consider it. That is considered a severe fault in any breed.

 

I never had a horse with parrot mouth, but I almost bought a pair of them (because they were cheap) when I was looking for my first horse. We ended up deciding to get one better trained horse instead (because the parrot mouthed pair were still greenish).


So while I wouldn't turn down an otherwise good trail horse with a parrot mouth, I wouldn't dream of breeding one if it's as severe as what you are showing (I know you said that wasn't her, just an example). I can't imagine that ever self correcting, that is very severe!


But, like I said, I don't have first hand experience with them, so what do I know. :wink: Hopefully you will receive more experienced replies. I just wanted to sign on to see her, since I almost bought a pair of them 20 years ago, lol.


I would imagine that is a horse that might not ride well with a bit in it's mouth either.


So, I say yes to loving her and riding her (man, she's pretty!) but no to breeding. And I am not the breeding police either. I am pretty open minded breeding some horses that other people flip out on (such as grades, because papers don't make the horse) but that still holds true with purebreds as well.....papers don't make the horse. She's lovely to look at though.


What I would do, is do research to determine if it's hereditary. I bet it is, but I don't know. It could be a one-off sort of defect.

 

not my horse sadly. sire and dam have not thrown this up untill her and her sire is a well bred horse. Im more asking if there is a chance she can grow out of it. from what i have read some say that by 2 it looks like they where always normal. more wondering if that is true and if anyone has dealt with it.

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/majestics+desert+sky

 

A minor parrot mouth “may” resolve itself when the jaw grows. But I have only seen a few cm in difference. Not an extensive mouth like the one you showed in pictures. That will cause major malocclusion issues in the future and I would even question how she could carry a bridle. Not something I would ever continue in the gene pool.

 

If she is as bad as the picture, then I imagine that surgery would be the only way to correct the mouth.

She might have trouble keeping weight on; of course there's those who adapt but only time will tell.

With her teeth out of alignment she’s at risk of damaging her gums, tongue and cheeks. Even to the back of her mouth. She could also need specialised feeding if grazing is an issue and a sore mouth prevents her from chewing.

 

I too would net breed from her, if her mouth is as bad as e bottom picture then there could well be problems along the way.

 

No horses with any defects, that they have had from birth (apart from some injuries) should be bred. The breeder's mare and stallion should be inspected too, why is there a parrot mouth baby?

She might live fine, and work well with bitless bridles, I know an older gelding, who does need special teeth care, but he rides well and still eats well and keeps his weight. I am not sure though how close his mouth is to the picture..
but he is not mild case..

 

While there are probably a few cases of parrot mouth caused by something else mostly it's genetic. I think there are some things a good vet that specializes in dentistry can do to help give her a better bite. I would never consider her for a future broodmare.

 

I think it can be corrected to a point and sometimes completely if started at a young enough age. I don't think that it will correct on it's own. It seems that a horse may have a lot of problems with this as far as how their teeth grow and wear.

 

I'd say an evaluation by a vet that specializes or has experience with malocclusions should be scheduled. Something minor may well correct itself but if that pic represents that bay's degree of offset then some type of intervention is necessary. They would likely need to ensure that she is evaluated and teeth are managed more often than typical. I also would not consider an animal with such a defect breeding material.


Well bred is not a guarantee that defects will not occur when certain crosses are made and just because one breeding of a specific cross does not show the defect does not mean another won't. Unless you have identical twins the gene combination differs breeding to breeding.

 

I am sure everyone knows much more than I do on this subject. I’ve never seen a parrot mouthed horse.

I did tell you about the 4H breeding project sheep. Anyways, I wasn’t lying when I said that Rose, the ewe, won the girl the buckle. She threw really nice offspring without the defect, and her parrot mouth, visibly much worse than the filly looks, never did effect her health.

So, I don’t really know. Because of our experience, I wouldn’t be too quick to assume the worst. If we hadn’t already had her tagged for the project we never would have given her the chance, but I was glad we didn’t notice the little lamb with the awful mouth. She was a good sheep.

 

Were the sire and dam extremely different in size? I have seen dogs that have severe "parrot mouths" because the dad was a large dog and the mother a small dog or the other way around.

Even if she makes a great riding horse, I don't see risking breeding her. Many animals that have one defect, have another that you may not see. I just wouldn't breed a less than perfect animal.

 

Celeste I have seen it happen not just with size difference but type difference. Two extreme head types bred together and the result is facial distortion.

 

My niece adopted a very large dog with a severe parrot mouth. He was found after the mother dug a hole and tried to bury him in it as a newborn. Maybe he wasn't nursing properly or something. He's half German Shepherd and half Great Dane. Weird combo but he's a nice tempered dog and managing fine now.

Now she(same niece) just recently adopted another sweet girl and God only knows what she is. My best guess is some kind of mastive mix. A lady was looking for a home for her and she was barely four or five weeks old. Her daughter was walking home from school and saw someone throw something out of their truck window. She went to investigate and found that it was this puppy. Why? Because people are so awesome, that's why. More than likely, there were a few more that were scattered about that no one found and perished.

 

You CAN find a vet that will put braces on her. There was a vet in Waller, TX....Dr. Collier, maybe?.... who did braces. They were tightening them on an Appaloosa colt when I was there. I would be concerned about how her molars line up. I have never seen one that bad.

 

Parrot mouth is a genetic defect and is an inherited trait. There is a 5yr old WP bred mare at the barn my husband rides at. This is a beautiful very well bred mare - and at 5 she has had MAJOR dental issues. The lower teeth will eventually wear away the enamel and roots behind the upper teeth causing those teeth to be come loose or damaged. As the horse ages the lower teeth will keep growing up and into the upper jaw as there is no opposite force for those teeth to grind against. I realize you are in AZ so grazing may not be a big issue but that filly may need special feed as she matures and a lot of dental check ups to keep her jaw and teeth as healthy as they can be.

 

I have thought about this more. I don’t know why I related the filly to the sheep, because duh, a sheep does not have upper teeth. It was pretty ugly, but because that is how they chew anyways it didn’t really effect that the jaw hit the gums further back. It just worked.

A horse... hmm, they use their front teeth to pull right? Then their hinds are used for the grinding... much like a human mouth. Hopefully it doesn’t effect her future at all.

 

I just don't get how having a show record is such a priority for a breeding horse yet having a parrot mouth would not be a big deal to someone who is looking at a breeding prospect. A nice horse is a nice horse whether it's been shown or not. You can't take away the fact that a horse is born with a parrot mouth.

 

So the buckskin pinto is the actual horse in question and the close up mouth picture is a google pic of what she looks like-ish?

I know lots of horses who "look" like they have a parrot mouth but have a good bite, it's just how their lips line up. So pictures of her actual teeth are really needed.

A slight bite may go away. The picture you posted- I know it's not her but that is EXTREME and a deformity. I can't imagine that horse would be able to eat normally.

Very curious for pictures of the actual horse.

 

That bottom picture is severe parrot mouth. A horse like that will not thrive if it cannot chew its food properly and get the nutrients out of it. Parrot mouthed horses are not known for their longevity.

 

Your sister MAY want to check the rule book before she sinks a lot of money into this filly....I know when we showed babies in APHA shows, the judge always asked to see their mouth, to check for parrot mouth.