Re: Older Horses Teeth

[Kim <Kim@redhorsetech.com>]

On Mon, 1 Feb 1999 13:59:25 +1000, "horse Connect - Donna Paton"
<donna@webexpress.net.au> wrote:

> Yes, please only get your horses teeth floated once every two years.  =
> Especially when they are older.  You could do more damage than it is =
> worth.
> =20

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It's been in my experience that a set "timeline" for floating teeth does
not work for all horses.  I've worked with horses who needed floating
after six months, others once a year, and a few once every few years. 
Every horse is different, and every horse has a different "conformation"
of the mouth which dictates the extent of dental care needed.

The best thing to do is to either ask your vet to examine your horse's
mouth, or if you know what you are looking/feeling for, do it yourself
*at least* every year or more often (if needed).  A vet exam or
experienced exam will also point out other concerns, such as the molars
beginning to "wave", dental abscesses, etc. typically found with the
older horses.  If these problems gets bad enough, life will become very
difficult for the horse --- more so than losing a little tooth from a
floating, or continuing on with life as a "gummer".  Each horse needs to
be treated as an individual, since all horses do not graze the same type
of pastures (sandy vs. thick grass), have the same "mouth", grind feed
*exactly* the same way, have identical teeth, and so on.  Just two cents
from someone who's stuck her fingers in way too many mouths ;-).


Kim (and the "float me every nine months" geriatic mare, Lee)