Teeth floating is something that is often times overlooked by horse owners. Most people think that floating horses teeth is only going to help a with eating, but there is so much more that is affected.
We float all of the horses that we ride. Jordan does the floating here on the farm, but if you think that your horse needs it, and it probably does, you would want to contact an equine dentist or a vet that specializes in equine dentistry. Not every vet specializes in this, so it is important that you find a vet that knows what they are doing.
There are several signs that we look for when a horse needs its teeth floated. The sign that most people know to look for is if the horse spills most of its grain out of its mouth when it eats. Most of the time that is a good sign, but not always if your horse is just a sloppy eater. If the horse holds his head tilted to the side or tosses its head when it eats it is almost guaranteed to have sharp teeth. There are several signs to look for when you are riding. Many bad behavioral problems that are blamed on the horse are often caused by pain. A horse can not talk to you and tell you "OUCH that really hurts", so a horse owner needs to learn how to read the signs. Every horse has a different pain tolerance just like people. We have floated teeth that were so sharp that they cut Jordan's hand when he checked them, the horse showed no signs and rode great. There are other horses that would be minor compared to that horse, but show big signs of pain. That is why is important if you don't feel comfortable checking your horses teeth have a professional check, because more times than not there is always something that needs done. Whether it is floating, pulling a wolf tooth, or extracting caps that have not come off naturally.
A few signs to look for when riding.
1. Not packing the bit quietly - chomping or grinding.
Sometimes this can be blamed on a bad bit as well.
2. Turning one direction better than the other.
3. When you stop, back, or turn the horse tosses or jerks its head as soon
as pressure is put on the bit.
4. The horses rides with its head tilted one direction.
5. Raring - this can also be caused be a bad bit or hard hand.
6. Not wanting to collect and completely give to pressure.
These are a few of the signs that we look for, but every horse is different. There is not horse that comes on the place that the teeth are not checked and evaluated, because then when it comes to training time there are no excuses, it is time to get to work.
Wolf teeth are another problem that most people do not know what to look for. The main reason is that is is not understood which tooth is the wolf tooth. Most people confuse it with the canine tooth because that tooth looks like it deserves the name better. When we think of a wolf tooth we think of big and sharp. Well, not this one. The wolf tooth sits directly in front of the molars or sometimes called the cheek teeth. They are usually very small, but can cause big problems and pain when packing a bit. It is best to check for these teeth when the horse is about two or three. Not all horses have them and they can have anywhere from one to four of them. It is important to extract them, and if caught early on are fairly easy to remove with the right tools. It is a good idea to extract them before any bit training is started. That insures that no bad habits start and the horse can enjoy its training without relating a bit with pain.
This is very condensed information on the subject, but it is a start. I want to do some blogs on bits and training, but before this important detail is handled the rest won't be as successful as possible. What I wrote in this blog is information that we have learned over the years through trial and more error then I would like to admit. Our goal here at Windy Hill Farm is to help people get the most enjoyment out of their horses as possible. "If the horse ain't happy the owner ain't happy." I changed that saying around a little bit, but it is the truth. For us to get the benefits from owning and handling a horse we need to make sure that we can do everything in our control to make our horses healthy and comfortable.
I tried to cover as much as possible without giving to much information to soak in at once. If there are any questions please comment or email us and we will do our best to answer them. If you live locally and need to find a equine dentist give Jordan a call and he can work you in here at the farm.
Until next time, Tiffany
