Have you ever heard the old saying,'Long in the tooth'? The reason for that saying when speaking of horses is that horse's teeth are constantly growing throughout their entire life span. Hence, the saying, ''Long in the tooth''. You more then likely have also heard that horse's age can be determined by looking at a horse's teeth. This is an old fashioned saying that has been handed down for decades. It is possible to age a horse using signs of the tooth eruption and wear. However, this is not an exact science and become increasingly difficult after the horse is "aged." Horses are individuals and two horses of the same age may have different wear patterns. After the age of 6, it is hard to get the age right by looking at the teeth. Horse's graze and eats continuously. As a result the grinding surface of the teeth wear down over time but they do not always wear evenly and this can cause the horse problems later on in their life. Uneven wear on the grinding surfaces of the horses teeth and may result in hooks or sharp points that will cause considerable pain and discomfort to your horse. The food they are trying to chew starts to fall out of their mouth. I have come across so many horse owners that forget about the horses mouth hygiene until the horse goes off his feed. If your horse seems hesitant when it is feeding time or feed drops from their mouth you may need to have your horses teeth checked for sharp points in their mouth. Some horses become difficult to bit-up, chewing constantly on the bit and tossing their heads, this is usually a sign of a tooth problem. You can ask your vet to examine your horse's teeth and mouth for any problems. They may just need floated (this is when the vet removes any hooks from the horse's mouth and smooth out any rough or uneven edges with a file. (It may well cost you more by having your vet do the work than a farrier. Ask both what they charge.) Signs to look for in your horse that could indicates dental problems.
At five years of age a horse has between 36 and 44 teeth A foals Incisor teeth (central) will start to grow from birth, in the first week. The Incisor Second (intermediate) grow between the 4 an half / 6 weeks to 4 years. The Incisor Third (corner) grow from 6/9 months until 5 years old. The Canine tooth is absent until the age of around 4 years up to 5 years. Some do not get the Canine teeth at all. The Premolar wolf is absent until 6 months to 3 years and again some will not get the wolf teeth. The second Premolar is from birth up till 2/3 years The third Premolar is from birth to 2/3 years The fourth Premolar is from birth to 3/4 years The first Molar is absent until 9/1 year The second Molar is absent until 2 years The third Molar is absent until 3/4 years By the age of five years old the horse usually has all their teeth. There is a difference between horses and Shetland ponies. When the vet came out to check, Milly's, teeth, they told me with her being part Shetland, the middle and the corner incisor teeth will be later to erupt through then the horse! Cribbers can have a lot of dental, jaw and neck problems. Check out the dentist in your surrounding area, or leave the name of your horse dentist Here Check out this page on the TM Joint of the horse. |
This is the horse's mouth gag that the vet or the dentist will use to keep their mouth wide open. It is not painful for the horse. You can ask your vet to sedate your horse before they have the treatment if they are nervous and never had this treatment before.
We had, Milly, sedated when the vet came to check her teeth, she needed them rasping. |