Texas - Oklahoma - Louisiana
Equine Dentistry

Dr. J.D. Norris of Equine Dentistry writes a monthly column in Cowboy Times magazine. Here is the December 2007  column:

     After some experiences this past month, I think we should review what we call “age categories” of a horse related to dental changes.  The first class is “babies” – birth to 1 year.  Then we have “juveniles” – 1 year to about 5 years.  The “adult” horse is 5 years to about 18 years, followed by the “seniors”, which are from 18 to about 25.  After that, we consider them “geriatric”, The juvenile group – 1 year to 5 years – is the one that should have the greatest attention. This is when all baby teeth are shed and all permanent teeth erupt.  During this period, we also start our training.

     Often we get these young horses after they have been in training (and sometimes hammered on!), and are asked if teeth could be the problem with their training.  You should see inside the mouths of some of these horses.  We often find them ripped up from sharp teeth and bits.  We had one horse last week that was sent back to the owner because the horse was not responding well to training.  This poor horse’s mouth, cheeks and tongue were lacerated.

     On the other hand, we have trainers who will send horses to us to have a dental check-up, before ever putting a bit in their mouth.  They say they can do twice as much in half the time, if the horse has proper dental care.

    There is so much going on inside the mouth in this “juvenile” group all the time.  We often need to see some of these horses every 3 months. Just remember, when starting a young horse, have his teeth checked first.  It will be worth the investment.

    Keep the teeth and feet balanced to have a balanced horse!