A friend is considering buying an OTTB who has no upper front teeth. The current owner got him off the track and doesn’t know the history, though there is scar tissue so it appears to be trauma related. He is on a regular hay and grain diet, and has no bridle problems, so it does not appear to affect him. He is being vetted next week. A quick conversation with the vet about it did not seem to lead to any concerns.
This horse has a fantastic temperament, and is quite a cute mover. She is planning on him being a resale project as she is hoping her current horse comes sound after a year or two off.
So, the question is, would you consider a horse who was a great guy in all ways, but had no top front teeth, which does not appear to bother him? Or as a resale project, should she run quickly away?
Yes. We hve a horse that has no front teeth on the upper or lower. Just the molars. Apparently they were kicked out before we got her. Atleast that is what we were told. No problems with anything. She still grazes on grass no problems. Her tongue does hang out alot though lol
No. He would not be able to graze effectively. Resale horses need to be damn near perfect.
Yes after a long talk with my vet, who is very lucky for me one of my best friends, about feeding, care, and long term outlook for such a thing. For resale no. But with that said I have never been very good at selling horses.
My horse only has three incisors left, on the far right side two lower and one upper. He’s dealt with it fir about five years, and he’s 22 now. He is currently fat as a tick out 24/7 with about five pounds of high fat feed a day. He had to be muzzled part time in the past, and had no trouble managing to graze.
Personally, if the horse maintains condition with a reasonably normal diet and fulfilling all other requirements for purchase, it wouldn’t stop me. I’d probably be more hesitant about a cribber or ulcer-prone horse than missing incisors.
ETA: his dentist had no problem keeping him comfortable on an annual basis, just making sure nothing grew out of line. The horse grazes like a deer (which don’t have top incisors), he developed a bit of callus on his palate that he held the grass against to tear with the bottom teeth.
As a resale project? Nope, unless this was a AAA Amateur Hunter prospect. Even then I would really have to stop and think
If the horse is fine otherwise I might for a personal horse. I would just make sure I kept up with the teeth because the lower will try to grow into the upper blank area.
It would not bother me one bit.
In the bigger picture I think it depends on what type of resale project she is planning and where you are.
If the end result is likely to live a life style of a show horse where the need to get all its nutrition via grazing is not likely then the lack of front teeth should never be an issue. If the horse is likely to end up somewhere that all summer it has to graze to sustain itself then that would limit its resale value. (My way of saying that if you are in a part of the country that pasture is limited then no front teeth are not an issue, if you live somewhere that most of the horse spend 24/7 on pasture all summer with limited added feed then this might be an issue.)
My OTTB doesn’t have “no front teeth” but he has weird misshapen front teeth from trauma. They look like little nubs. and they don’t function like normal incisors would. It doesn’t affect his ability to graze or eat or maintain weight. I’m extra vigilant with dental care since his bite doesn’t occlude like a normal toothed horse would. But absolutely no problems with our boy.
My favoritest OTTB ever had no top front teeth. (Also no apparent trouble grazing.) I’d be fine with it.
If this is going to be your friend’s main horse for a couple of years, I wouldn’t even be thinking hard about resale value if she likes the horse. A couple of years is a long time.
I am curious why people would discount a horse without front teeth even if they are eating, drinking, and maintaining weight just fine?
For resale I think it’s a bit risky. While it sounds like it doesn’t bother him, anything out of the ordinary like this will make a prospective buyer pause. If they are considering multiple horses and 2 are the same except for this, he’s going to likely lose. Of course you could always get lucky and someone will fall in love and look beyond it. But it’s a risk. I think your friend needs to be ok with holding onto him longer just in case.
Sure, why not? My retired GP horse lost all his front teeth due to crappy dental care for years before I got him. He is perfectly able to pull and eat grass in the fields, and does fine with hay and grain in his stall. His weight is fantastic, and I rode him in a double with no front teeth, with no issues.
Is it EOTRH related?
Otherwise, wouldn’t bother me one bit. Cared for plenty missing the front row. Horses don’t use their front teeth to chew, and horses graze just fine with gums instead of teeth.
Honestly, if it is a show horse chances are it is NOT going to be drawing all its fodder from grazing, as those horses are usually kept in paddocks, fed concentrated feed and hay, over being “left in the back forty”.
There is a horse in our barn with no front teeth. He does fine, although his tongue does hang out, he manages to eat hay, beet pulp and pelleted feed just fine. He goes fine under saddle in a standard bit.
I would be concerned a bit about resale, especially if the horse is marketed towards hunters or dressage, where the tongue out will be marked down.
starsandsun - did your horse’s tongue hang out and did it cause a problem with your scores when showing?
I own a mare with one nubby top incisor and the other top incisors are collapsing into the space. Latest vet thinks this will start affecting her nasal cavity, so I wouldn’t pick a resale with this condition. However, she is 25 yo, perfect in every other way, and someone who had her as a 5-10 yo told me she had it then. While she has no trouble eating, her lips can get sores when the pasture is low.
[QUOTE=Draftmare;8896968]
I am curious why people would discount a horse without front teeth even if they are eating, drinking, and maintaining weight just fine?[/QUOTE]
For the same reason ANY blemish is not desireable. I have a horse with a terrible overbite that will be a tough resell if it comes to that despite it not affecting her bitting or eating. Unless the horse is winning at a high level it’s a buyers market. Same goes for old bows, pin firing, etc. usually not an issue but try to sell and your price is significantly lower.
That wouldn’t bother me as a buyer. Unless his tongue was lolling out all the time what harm does it do? Finding a horse that is sane, sound, with good training while on a budget is hard enough. 
[QUOTE=MissAriel;8897118]
I would be concerned a bit about resale, especially if the horse is marketed towards hunters or dressage, where the tongue out will be marked down.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, this is the only reason I would be concerned about resale value. I’ve known several who were missing front teeth (ranging from only missing a few, to missing a row, to missing all fronts) and none ever had a problem grazing or keeping a bit in their mouths. Just grabbed everything with their lips (or with the teeth they had left) instead.
Two of them, however, were naturally a bit fiddly in the face and would let their tongues flop out sometimes during riding, but given that I’ve known horses to do this who have no dental problems whatsoever, I think those two might’ve been tongue-floppers no matter what their teeth looked like. If she doesn’t do it now, she probably won’t later.
For what it’s worth, as a buyer I wouldn’t discount a horse for missing any or all of its front teeth. It would be a non-issue for me, like coat color or eye color. Maybe that’s because of my previous experience, though.
My 20 year old knocked out almost all of his upper front teeth (only left 2-3 in place) when he was just shy of three years old (he also dropped his palate, so the roof of his mouth had to be stitched back in place, and dislocated his jaw). Have never had a problem related to his teeth, grazing, keeping weight on (he’s actually the fastest horse on the property), etc. and have had no problems floating his remaining teeth. Only now is he at a point where I need to get him looked at as the one incisor in the corner is loose and may need to come out. No front teeth wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.
It’s risky for resale, but for personal it would be fine. You can probably find a good buyer, but it may take a bit of time.
