Under Bite

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windwalker

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HI ...A friend of mine is wanting to buy a mare but she has an under bite...Her bite is off by half a tooths width...I have a picture of her bite if anyone would want me to send it to them private...She is really wanting this mare but wants other mini breeders thoughts on it...Thanks
 
Does your friend know why she has an underbite? If it's due to her jaw not lining up that's probably more of an issue than if it's due to the teeth being crowded - which is common in minis. Has the mare had her teeth floated? How old is the mare? These are some of the questions I'd ask if it were me.
 
A couple of things to consider with a horse's bite.........

How old is the horse? And does the horse have "points"??? It can also be a combination of BOTH situations.

Young horses' bites can change as their body matures. With some minor dental work, the points (and sometimes caps!) can be taken care of and also change a bite.
 
She said the mare is 9 years old and her teeth were in bad shape when the seller got her and had her teeth done in may of this year...Thanks
 
There are so many nice horses for sale out there, and the market is bad so it's a buyer's market for sure... I'd pass and keep looking.

There are so many bad bites out there for reasons x, y, and z that I wouldn't play any guesswork.

Good luck, whatever you decide...

Andrea
 
As you know, a half tooth is the absolute maximum allowed to be off for showing..........and not knowing her parentage or her health history, it's hard to advise.......especially for a mature horse. I would probably advise your friend to look with extreme caution, if she plans to breed. (As Disney pointed out, there are a lot of other mares available.) If she's looking to do other activities with her, then that's another story.
 
Hi ....Thanks for all of you answering back...She would be using her for breeding only...I have told her what everyone said and she is going to look for another mare...She Thanks all of you ...
 
I would not cross her off the list yet. I would talk to the person who did her teeth this year- that is a long time not to have teeth looked at and her bite could have shifted simply because of that. She was obviously in need of having teeth done, and half a bite off is not THAT far.

The dentist or vet, should be able to tell you why they were off, and I have watched many horses over the years that were off, get their teeth done and they came back on where they were supposed to be, but it does not happen over night.

If your friend really wants the mare, talk to the vet/dentist and get more info. The teeth were just done recently, so I would check into it. If they think it is something else, you can pass on her, but it may be worth a bit of your time to check on it.

I know someone who bought a young horse who was way off- much more than half a tooth. I believe she was a three year old. After some simple dental work for a couple of years of just keeping the bite even like it should be, the bite was close to being right where it should be. The farm she came from apparently does not bother to have their horses teeth checked (it's a large farm too that shows)
 
Thank You...I'll let her know..She really likes the mare and in her price range...I'll have her contact the owner and see if she can get intouch with the dentist...Thanks again Irene
 

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