A regular trip to the dentist is vital to the health and wellbeing of your equine friend.
Hawke’s Bay based equine dentist Michelle Dunn talked to us about dentistry and why it’s so important.
The main reason horses need their teeth rasped and filed is because they have teeth that are continuously erupting out of their sockets, causing sharp enamel points.
These points need to be filed to ensure your horse has a comfortable mouth, making for a happy and healthy horse to ride and handle.
Horses should first have their teeth filed as yearlings and then have checks every four to six months until the age of five, when they have a full mouth of permanent teeth.
After that, a horse should be seen once a year to maintain good teeth.
A bit seat may be created for horses that are ridden in a contact, performance horses like sport horses and racehorses usually have a bit seat, a place for the bit to sit comfortably while in the mouth.
Wolf teeth are commonly found in horses and tend to interfere with the bit and cause the horse discomfort. They can be blended with the bit seat or extracted. If the teeth need to be removed, in most cases the horse would need sedation and pain relief, so a vet would be called.
Common problems Michelle sees as a result of poor dental care include head shaking, rearing and avoiding contact due to sharp enamel points, causing lacerations and scar tissue in the mouth.
A horse with bad teeth might show symptoms, like scouring or emaciation (as they are unable to masticate their food and lose condition). In the worst case scenario, a horse could die from emaciation.
Michelle treats 90% of her equine clients unsedated, as this saves further expense to the owner and prevents horses suffering any setbacks in their training as a result of being sedated.
“Ninety percent of them are done because my knowledge and horsemanship allows me to handle them (without sedation).
“But if my safety or the safety of the horse was compromised I would strongly recommend sedation.”
- Michelle trained under Master Equine Dentist Paul Cartwright and his partner Erica Lovell. She has been an equine dentist since 2006 and is based in Hawke’s Bay, but travels widely to clients around the North Island.