Originally Posted by blue eyed pony
Our two 2yo's both still have their wolf teeth. One because they're so close to the molars that they're unlikely to cause any issues [that one is mouthed and very very soft] and the other because hers are so small the vet said it will be difficult to get them out at this stage, and it was possibly her first time ever having her teeth done today, so we didn't want to push her too far. She was very heavily sedated and didn't react at all to the float but even so...
My 17yo Anglo has canines and his canines would get in the way if he was an advanced enough dressage horse to wear a double bridle - he barely has room in his mouth for ONE mouthpiece. His canines would be filed in that situation, or possibly even removed (some vets, mouth specialists, will do that, but it's incredibly invasive surgery). I actually think they might have been filed at some point; the ends have a flat part which is frustratingly on an angle so they are actually sharp. Had another gelding with them and HIS were blunt.
We had a horse that had wolf teeth when we bought him, he was 5 then and had been harness raced. His mouth was awfully hard, and I physically did not have the strength to MAKE him listen (to soften him up!)... so we had his wolf teeth removed. They were small and out within 10 minutes. He got HARDER. It took a truly NASTY mechanical hackamore to break him of the habit of ignoring me, then a lot of guts on my part to put him in a thick rubber snaffle to re-mouth him, and then a thick french link after that.
My TB will have her wolf teeth removed probably on her next dentist visit because they're sat forward of her molars, although unless you're using a gag the bit shouldn't go up that high anyway under normal circumstances so in theory they shouldn't actually affect her - but I know horses that WERE affected by their wolf teeth and when removed were much happier, so with a horse whose wolf teeth are not supported by another larger tooth, they're coming out.
Just goes to show that every horse is different. Some horses will do just fine with their wolf teeth in, some will not. But really though, it's easier to just have them pulled when they come in. To remove Gracie's one, it was a shot to numb, and then a chisel type instrument to loosen it. She was a bit sore but got over it quickly, and it was a whole extra $40, and considering I was already forking over $400 for two dentals, it wasn't a big deal, lol.