Category Archive

Quidding is the balling up of hay in the mouth (the quid) and spitting out the bolus onto the ground. Spilling grain is exactly what it sounds like. Several reasons cause these issues: In my experience, the reason horses refuse to fully chew their hay and expel the partially chewed mass (a “quid”) is because they are uncomfortable in swallowing …

Horse teeth erupt throughout their life and they are worn down by the opposing tooth. If nothing is there to wear down this growth, it becomes excessive and that is what we call a hook. This video describes various types of hooks and what problems they cause in your horse. Removing these hooks is the most aggressive procedure I perform …

There are some issues that are unique to horses 20 to 25 years old and older. Most of them could be avoided by starting a dental care program early in life. Often management changes are required to maintain their weight. In very old horses that have not received dental care in the past sometimes are harmed by the floating process. …

Hard, non painful lumps located along the bottom edge of the jaw or on the face and seen in horses between 2 1/2 to 5 years of age are a common result of the eruption of permanent cheek teeth in the horse.

Dental care in young horses should begin about 2 1/2 years of age or 2 weeks before you introduce a bit into their mouths. Teeth in horses younger than 5 years old are softer than older horses and go through very dynamic changes. When you start to float a young horse, it becomes a commitment to continue floating that horse …

The two types or classes of drugs I use in my equine dental practice are sedatives and analgesics (pain killers). On occasion I use an anxiolytic (removes anxiety) for scared horses. I do not use tranquilizers which is a completely different class and does not provide pain relief. Two of the three drugs I use are controlled substances which requires …

Medication should be given when the horse asks for them. Medication allows the horse to cooperate with a painful procedure. This includes wolf tooth extraction, fractured tooth removal, and occasionally routine floating. If the horse needs pain relief, medicating the horse allows for the completion of the float which is what you are paying for. This is the ethical use …

These descriptions that I’ve coined are to relate some anatomical irregularities of horse’s teeth. If they are not addressed, sources for pain may continue to exist in the horse’s mouth. I have never been a big fan of complicated words. Every person that floats horse teeth needs to address everything that brings discomfort inside the mouth of the horse. It …

Excessive tissue laying in front of the bottom first cheek teeth can become extremely irritating to some horses. Here is where a picture is better than words (see below). Rounding the first cheek teeth is commonly called the bit seat. The purpose is to smooth out the edges to prevent the trapping of this excessive tissue. Flabby cheeks is actually …

Have you ever bit the inside of your cheek? The sore you feel with your tongue is a cheek ulcer. These are not caused by stress but from trauma from the sharp tooth. In the horse, cheek and tongue ulcers develop when the sharp points rub against the soft tissue and rub away the outer layers. Depending upon the horse’s …