From: tracy@scoraz.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Tracy Scheinkman)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: re: wolf teeth
Date: 19 Aug 92 23:14:33 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

In Article 8339 deblev@nimoy.ipac.caltech.edu (Debbie Levine) writes:

>I have a question about wolf teeth.  I had thought wolf teeth 
>tended to appear in 5-10 year old geldings, were generally
>small and triangular, grew in the gumline above the regular
>teeth and were always towards the back of the mouth.  I have
>never actually seen one.

	Wolf teeth are small vestigial pre-molars that erupt (if
the horse develops them at all, some don't) between the time
the horse is 6 months to 2 years.  All horses males and females
can potentially have wolf teeth.  Wolf teeth appear usually
on the top just in front of the first "real" pre-molar in the
horse's mouth.  Look for them, they are very small round teeth,
just in front of the big triangular teeth that are behind the
bit, pull your horse's lip back with your finger and you can
usually look inside.
	They do not always pose a problem for a horse, for example
if the horse is going to be ridden in a western curb on light
contact only if contact at all, then there is generally no 
pressure on the wolf teeth to cause pain.  My first horse had
her wolf teeth even as an aged mare and never had any problems
with them.  However generally a horse that will probably or
may be ridden on contact with a snaffle should have the wolf
teeth removed before they begin training as they can be a
source of intense discomfort.

>One of the horses at our barn has seemed unusually tense the last
>couple of times I rode him (he's normally pretty hot, so its a
>little hard to tell) and I decided to take a look in his mouth.

>I didn't get any further than the very front, because he has what
>looks like a small triangular tooth growing in between his
>two front teeth!  Is this likely to be a wolf tooth?  Could
>it be causing discomfort?

	This is not a wolf tooth exactly it is an aberant (meaning
it doesn't fit the normal pattern) tooth.  Although without seeing
it it may also be an old deciduous tooth that hasn't been shed
properly.  Aberant teeth may appear anywhere in the horse's mouth,
my filly has an aberant wolf tooth on the bottom right hand side
of her jaw, positioned exactly as the other two wolf teeth she has.
In her case it will need to be pulled as it will definitely 
interfere with bit acceptance.  As to whether this horse's tooth is 
causing problems or not, it might it might not, without seeing it I 
couldn't tell.  I would definitely recommend an equine dentist look 
at this horse.
	Other teeth you may see are the canine teeth or tushes which are
generally (though not always) present in male horses and erupt somewhere 
around age 4 or 5. -- These are what I suspect you were thinking were
wolf teeth. -- Some mares have them, though usually not.  They are found on 
both top and bottom, though some horses may have just one and not the other 
and some may erupt only on one side and not the other.  They are found in the 
space between the incisors and the pre-molars, which is where the bit sits 
and is what we call the bars of the mouth.  Generally they do not pose a 
problem for the horse in terms of mouth pain Except if the bit is placed 
too low in the horse's mouth and continually bumps against them (it should 
rest about halfway between the canines and pre-molars) or if they get too 
long and begin to irritate the opposing gum in which case the dentist can 
clip them off to shorten them.  They are not removed.

	There is a booklet put out by Threshold books of England for
kids, Number 15 I believe is Bits and Bitting or Mouths and Bits,
something like that, which has wonderful illustrations of the 
horse's mouth and various bits, showing the action of the bits, and
has a small section on dentistry.  The illustrations alone are
worth the price, but they also pack and incredible amount of information
into just a few pages.  Many saddle shops carry these books, and
they are also available through Miller's catalog, Dover's catalog,
and Half Halt Press's catalog.  I highly recommend it.

				Tracy and everybody
    
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian