The true cost of a pretty face
Breeding for finer heads means less space for horses’ teeth and tongues
BREEDING “designer” features has come into the spotlight, as it emerged that some equine mouths are too small for their teeth.
Vet Vikki Fowler, who is also a member of the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians, sees increasing numbers of miniatures, Welsh section As and Arabs suffering as a result of their desirable dished faces.
One, a six-year-old Welsh mare, may have to be put down.
“I’m seeing it more and more,” Vikki told H&H. “It’s because people want to breed pretty faces.”
The root of one of the Welsh mare’s teeth is “sticking out of the side of her face” as there is no space for it in her mouth. It has made a lump under her eye, but is controllable as it is accessible.
The worse issue is a back tooth growing behind the oral cavity, again due to the lack of space. And as there is no sign of the opposing tooth, it will keep growing.
“It’s totally inaccessible; you can’t get in to remove it,” Vikki said. “The other option is taking it out of the side of her face, but the tooth’s likely to be 8-10cm long.
“We’d have to open her entire face and the owners aren’t keen on having to put her through that.
“If you can’t get the tooth out or control its growth, the outcome would be to put the pony to sleep.”
Last year, the birth of an Arab colt in the US with an exaggerated dished face sparked concerns that his “cartoon-like” appearance could have a detrimental effect on his health (news, 26 October).
And Vikki is already seeing such effects, even in warmbloods.
SHRINKING MOUTHS
PETER “Bomber” Nel, owner and founder of Bombers Bits, said it was five years ago he realised some European warmbloods’ mouths were getting smaller.
“When breeders try to make them more like thoroughbreds, and breed finer and finer, the jaw gets narrower,” he told H&H. “But the tongue stays the same size.
Bomber said the lack of space means problems with bitting, and the issue is getting worse.
“When I started my journey, 40-odd years ago, it was 12 to 15% of horses who didn’t like tongue pressure,” he said. “Now, I’d say it’s more than 85%.
“So many warmbloods, bred for dressage, you can’t get a bit in their mouths as they’re so narrow. The top jaw is always wider, but now they’re excessively so, so you’ve got to watch out with a pelham or baucher as they can put pressure on the top molars — the complications are huge.”
Bomber said English-bred warmbloods are not as bad as their European counterparts.
“But this is a major problem,” he said. “All I want to see is happy horses, but the problem with all horses is the human.”
World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H breeding purely for appearance is “just wrong”.
“Horses should be bred for performance, strength and longevity,” he added. “They should never be genetically manipulated in any way detrimental to their health and welfare, and it is unacceptable any animal should suffer for aesthetics. We must learn the lessons from dog breeding and not tolerate what is effectively cruelty.”
Neil Townsend, chairman of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s allied professionals committee and specialist in equine surgery and dentistry, agreed the problem is worsening.
“The drive for more miniaturisation in some breeds must bear some responsibility,” he
‘All I want to see is happy horses, but the problem with all horses is the human’ PETER “BOMBER” NEL,
said. “The teeth do not decrease in size in proportion to the rest of the head, so some of these animals will have overcrowded mouths, which can lead to displaced or impacted teeth, whereas the lucky ones simply fail to develop one tooth from each quadrant to alleviate the overcrowding.
“Although cases can be treated, it’s often at great cost. Less selective breeding may decrease cases, with regular exams to spot issues early, so treatment has more chance of success.”