You notice that something is wrong with your horse's front teeth. They may be having difficulty eating, or you notice blood from the mouth. You lift the lip and see that the upper or lower front, nipping teeth (incisors) are broken outward.

Horses often grasp immovable objects with their front (incisor) teeth. In some cases, they may be cribbing when they do this. In other cases, just nipping or grasping a stationary object. If a horse is startled by something while engaging in this behavior, or they feel pressure on their mouth as they bite down, they may respond by pulling back. The force can be sufficient to fracture the upper or lower nipping teeth or, in most cases, the relatively thin bone in which these teeth are embedded.

This is an especially common problem in young horses. In young horses, fracture of the incisive bone can result in damage to the permanent teeth buds that rest in the underlying bone. If this happens, the permanent teeth will either be absent or deformed, leading to dental issues later in life.