Equine Dentistry - Horses Teeth Problems - Horse Dentistry

When is the last time your horse visited the dentist? Are you having unexplained control issues with your horse? It could be a dental problem. Most people just write it off as a horse being resistant to training but that is not always the case.

Hello. My name is John McCoy. I have been doing equine dental work for seven years and have made my living a horseback for 25 years.

Tooth diagram

The importance for taking care of your horses mouth comes in two forms: riding and the horses health. I recommend checking your horses mouth from day one. When purchasing a horse, most buyers check the obvious: soundness, disposition, and ability. But they fail to check the horses mouth and tongue. Check the horse for overbite or parrot mouth, as you will have problems down the road with either of these. The horses teeth don't wear equally and some incisors may rot out which will give the horse problems picking grass. Most times the molars don't line up correctly and cause problems chewing.

Parrot mouth

I recommend having your horses mouth checked by an equine dentist twice a year from yearling to five years of age and once a year there after. Most people only think that older horses should need their teeth checked, but the teeth change more from one to five years of age.

Before introducing your young horse to the bit have the horses wolf teeth removed (if possible), a bit seat applied to the first molars both top and bottom chain and the mouth floated. (Floating is to level the chain of teeth taking off the rough edges.) Also check for caps, remove them as needed. Horses generally shed caps 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 years of age. Caps are baby teeth. Some shed them on their own, some need to be removed to allow the permanent teeth to come in easier. Floating your horses teeth will allow the horse to chew with less difficulty and digest his feed easier which will help with the fed bills.

If I may be of any help, feel free to email me with your questions. If I can answer your question I will be happy to.

If your are in need of equine dental work and live in the Kentucky/Indiana area, you can call between the hours of 9 am - 9 pm ET to set up an appointment.

Longhorn M
John & Gretchan McCoy
515 Old Nelsonville Rd
Boston, KY 40107
(502)833-3076 

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