Re: RC: Fw: teeth

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

<< > could someone tell me why wild horses never need professional dental
 work???
 > Do they die really young from jagged teeth??? And how do they clean their
 > sheaths??? Do they die from impacted sheath disease?? I'm semi-serious
 > here...so don't anyone take offense or get all excited...I really am
 curious >>

Yep, in nature they die from anything that goes untreated and is serious 
enough to interfere with eating or general health.  As far as teeth go, in 
the wild, those with inherently poor dentition don't live long enough to make 
much contribution to the gene pool, so inherited aspects tend to be greatly 
reduced, and horses also eat natural roughages and graze with their heads 
down--both major factors in dental health.  When horses are fed concentrates, 
their grinding activity is diminished, and when they eat from elevated 
feeders, their occlusion changes--both factors increase dental problems.

As far as sheaths go, in the wild, horses are not gelded or confined, so I 
would imagine that dirty sheaths are far less frequent.

Heidi