Parrot Mouths

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GrumpyHero

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Just a general questions
What is everyones experience with parrot mouthed horses?
Are they difficult to maintain (weight etc)? Do they have trouble eating from haynets with small holes? Is grazing a bigger problem?

Sorry just always been curious about parrots :p:D
 
I have never owned nor bred a horse with a parrot mouth. I would never buy one and if I ever had the bad luck to breed one it would not be able to be registered by any of the breed registries I'm associated with. To be frank, I would have to seriously consider culling it if I ever bred one.
 
Thanks for your reply :)
Why is it you would consider culling a parrot mouthed foal? Sorry just generally clueless about parrot mouths as i've never encountered one and was just curious!

Is it because of the health implications that come with one?
 
Oh many can survive and live an okay life. There are often complications that come with parrot mouth though. No registry I am associated with will accept a foal with a parrot mouth. I would rather have it put down than have to keep it forever as it would be unsaleable. Someone may take it but I would never do that as I would worry for it's future so PTS would be high on my considerations were I to breed one.
 
One of mine had a slight parrot mouth. No trouble eating (quite the opposite in fact!) and didn't have any special treatment - he lived to grand old age of 36. He could nibble the grass right down, roots and all. He did have a wave mouth as well so needed dental checks every 6 months. The fresher and fitter he got the more parroty the mouth became, especially when running off with me cross country.

I have had more trouble with horses that have missing front teeth and then choke if not careful.
 
My sister has an ex racer with parrot mouth. It doesn't cause him problems as such but it does mean he has to go to the vet practice to have his teeth done rather than an EDT coming out to him.
 
It depends how parrot mouthed. I had one, and no issues whatsoever, he lived a long ,full and competitive life.
And I knew a HOYS winner, who was parrot mouthed..
 
I have one that has quite a severe parrot mouth although to look at you wouldn't think so. Has a harder job eating haylage but everything else is as a normal horse. Teeth are done every 6 months. Makes no difference to ridden performance and I don't have anymore trouble keeping weight on than other TB's (She's a 17.2hh TB).
 
I have one and she has no problems at all in eating and in fact I have to be very careful as she a bit of a pig given half the chance. she has a small holed net and only gets just grass and a handful of nuts twice a day. Has her teeth done about every 6 months.
 
I know of a slightly parrot mouthed fell type pony and she has never shown any untoward signs whether eating or ridden.

My mother had a miniature shetland with the most horrific underslung jaw you've ever seen though...her mouth looked like shrek! :eek:
Suprisingly though the vets/dentist never had issues with her mouth other than routine checks, and she was a very good doer and had no probs grazing or with carrots etc.

Apparently they can suffer from dwarfism and the mouth is one area where deformations occur most frequently.
 
I bought my current horse as a rising 4 yr old with a slight parrot mouth, he has never had any issues eating but he has tongue issues, as in he constantly draws it back when bitted, whether this is related or not I dont know.
His teeth have been seen to every 6 months by the vet who removed his 3rd molar as it was fractured as a 4 yr old but after recently moving yards, we used a EDT and he said his teeth were horrendous!! and that he needed extensive work. After the first session, my parrot mouthed horse, that had always been this way, was no longer. I was gobsmacked. He shown me what he had done and said he had waves and hooks at the back that had basically made his jaw sit as it was and that he couldnt physically 'hold' his mouth as he should. He is no longer parrot mouthed and Im amazed.
It hasnt stopped his tongue 'habit' but it has improved a bit.
 
I had one with a very bad parrot mouth. He was an ex flat racer who won over £70,000. I had him 3 years to accompany child on pony. He was sold last year and has just hunted all season. No problem keeping weight on him. Had to have teeth done twice a year but that is all. ridiculous to suggest culling. Was recognised by Weatherby's as he raced, full TB so obviously breed societies do recognise them.
 
According to my EDT unless it is an actual deformity confirmed by a vet, there is no need for any horse to be parrot mouthed, it needs a good tech to get those back teeth rasped down and possibly caps removed as these grow quicker and get worn down more slowly than the front teeth and move the jaw forward.
 
putasocinit said:
According to my EDT unless it is an actual deformity confirmed by a vet, there is no need for any horse to be parrot mouthed, it needs a good tech to get those back teeth rasped down and possibly caps removed as these grow quicker and get worn down more slowly than the front teeth and move the jaw forward.
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I wish there was a like button, as I would like this.
My horse is 14 now and although I thought I was doing the best by him, I obviously wasnt :( I was told by thr EDT to try putting my top jaw forward and flexing my neck, pretty uncomfortable. All those years, he must have been struggling :(
 
Domirati said:
I had one with a very bad parrot mouth. He was an ex flat racer who won over £70,000. I had him 3 years to accompany child on pony. He was sold last year and has just hunted all season. No problem keeping weight on him. Had to have teeth done twice a year but that is all. ridiculous to suggest culling. Was recognised by Weatherby's as he raced, full TB so obviously breed societies do recognise them.
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Unless things have changed a lot I do not recall TB foals having to be graded and inspected prior to them being given their registry papers? And I believe that even back then when I was involved with Weatherbys that parrot mouths and all other congenital defects were to be noted.

No Verband that I am associated with accept a horse with a parrot mouth. A foal showing a parrot mouth will not be registered by the Verband. A horse showing a parrot mouth later in life will not be approved for breeding within the Verbands.

So no, you obviously don't know about what registries will allow and what they won't allow. And an unregistered, parrot mouthed horse has no future where I live and I would not allow it to end up in an auction and go for meat, so yes I stand by my comment that I would certainly consider having it culled if I ever bred one.
 
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