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PONIES ’n KIDS SPECIAL PONIES ’n KIDS SPECIAL

Of course there is a lot to learn and think about when caring for a horse or pony and there are 3 Key

Areas that always need to be looked after:

FEET, FOOD and TEETH.

Looking after these areas correctly we ensure that if our pony is otherwise fit and healthy, then they are ready to attend pony club and have the chance to enjoy it as much as we do.

In this article we are going to talk about horses’ mouths and how best to care for their teeth and gums.

There are some basic points that every horse owner and horse rider should know about their horses teeth, this means that Mums and Dads need to know this stuff too! even if they don’t actually ride the horse.

So what do we need to know? Well textbooks on dental care for horses are very large (hundreds of pages) and it isn’t possible to cover all of that information here so lets look at some simple facts and some points to check when choosing someone to examine your horse’s mouth and treat any issues.

INSIDE YOUR HORSE’S MOUTH

Ok, how many teeth does a horse have?

The answer varies as not all horses have all teeth (kind of like the way not all people get wisdom teeth) but an adult horse will have between 36 and 44 teeth, and that’s a lot of teeth!

What kind of teeth do horses have?

Most of the teeth a horse has are very different from our own human teeth. Horse teeth are called hyposodont teeth and they are very long with most of the tooth being under the gum in the horses jaw.

As a horse chews it wears down the tooth and eventually the tooth will wear out, for this reason it is very important not to skip a visit from your Dental Vet as many of the horses and ponies at pony club are older and if problems are left untreated the result is often very bad.

Often when the horse finally does see a Dental Vet some teeth will need to be removed, and things that could have been treated quickly and simply are now much harder and more expensive to fix than before.

How do I look after my pony’s teeth?

Horses and ponies who are ridden regularly should receive dental checks from a Dental Vet at least twice a year.

During the visit, your Dental Vet should ask a lot of questions about the horse, especially how it eats, and what it is like to ride.

It is a good idea to have your bit and bridle handy for the Vet to examine, and also to spend some time watching your horse eat before the Vet arrives. Pay special attention to see if it usually spills food or seems to have trouble chewing, this way it will be easier to answer the Vet’s questions.

After the Vet has asked their questions they will administer some pain relief to your horse, this will also relax the horse and when they “wake up” they won’t remember anything unpleasant.

The Vet does this because they understand that there are sensitive nerves in the teeth, cheeks; gums and tongue of your horse and that your horse would feel pain if the Vet didn’t give pain relief before beginning to examine your horses mouth.

The Vet should then have a good look and feel around the outside of your horse’s head, and examine the lips and front teeth carefully for things like cuts and broken or dead teeth.

your pony

needs a dental

Pony club! it’s a great way to spend a Sunday and you can have a lot of fun and learn useful

skills, however, your ability to attend pony

club and have fun with your horse or pony is

directly related to their health and wellbeing.

©Cristina Wilkins

The front teeth (incisors) are used for cutting grass and biting

Cheek teeth (premolars and molars) grind the food.

Horses have hypsodont teeth their teeth continue to erupt (push through to the surface) for years but eventually (in old age) they will wear out completely.

Horses have between 36 and 44 teeth6 incisors on top + 6 on the bottom jaw = 12

up to 12 cheek teeth on top + 12 on the bottom jaw = 242 canines on top + 2 on bottom jaw (males only) = 4

Sometimes horses also grow “wolf teeth” on the bars = 4Total teeth = up to 44

When a horse chews, the bottom

jaw moves in a circular motion and

the friction wears the teeth down

In most cases only male horses have canine teeth

This space without teeth is called “the bars” and it allows us to use a bit

Next a speculum (the special device to keep the horse’s mouth open that you can see in the photo above) is placed on the horse, and the mouth will be thoroughly rinsed out.

The next time your Dental Vet comes to see your horse ask them to let you look into the horse’s mouth at this point (it will be VERY dark). This is why the Vet needs a very bright light to see all the way back to the back of the mouth.

They will also use a mirror and probe, just like your Dentist does to examine all surfaces of your teeth. Once they have finished examining the mouth the will talk to you about your horse and begin correcting any problems they have found.

Next time your pony has a dental check ask your dental vet to let you have a good look inside his mouth. With a speculum (the device that keeps the mouth open) a bright light and a mirror, your dental vet can check thoroughly and identify problems like the

paniful ulcer in the top left photo which was caused by sharp points that needed attention. Photos courtesy Equine Dental Vets.

by Dr Shannon LeeBVSc, MACVSc Eq Dent

Equine Dental Vets

equinedentalvets.com.au

Because the top jaw is much wider than the

bottom jaw, as they chew they create very sharp

points on the outside of their upper cheek teeth

and on the inside of their lower cheek teeth. Your

equine dental vet will ensure they are not causing

painful ulcers inside the mouth

and

and

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equinedentalvets.com.au

Over 350 members Australia and New Zealand wide

• Find a dental vet in your area• Learn about horse dentistry• How to choose a good service provider

Dental disease causes pain and suff ering for many horses. It is very common, and often left untreated or incorrectly

treated, due to a lack of understanding, poor equipment and limited training in this fi eld.

Equine dental veterinarians have the knowledge, experience and equipment to prevent pain and off er horse owners the piece of mind that comes from working with professionals.

equinedentalvets.com.auScan me with your smartphone

Because horses have Hyposodont teeth (remember) and their top jaw is much wider than their bottom jaw, as they chew they create very sharp points of enamel (the hardest substance in the body) on the outside of their upper cheek teeth and on the inside of their lower cheek teeth.

These sharp enamel points cause painful ulcers and cuts to the cheeks and tongue, and so your Dental Vet will remove them (being careful not to do any damage to the nerves of the teeth). Sometimes horses who have missed a dental exam maybe very sore in the mouth because of these ulcers and may be unhappy when

KIDS ’n PONIES SPECIAL KIDS ’n PONIES SPECIAL

pressure is applied to the reins, this makes the situation dangerous as the horse is in pain and the rider has less control over the horse. The more the rider pulls on the reins to control the horse the more pain they cause the horse.

While removing sharp enamel points is a very important part of caring for your horses teeth, horses get all the dental problems that people do so there are a lot of other things that commonly occur in horses mouths. Things like broken or missing teeth, loose teeth, Gum disease, overgrown teeth, cancer etc are common.

Left: Happy now! This pony had a serious infection

that required the surgical extraction of two of the cheek

teeth on his upper jaw.

The photo on the right shows where the teeth were positioned

inside the mouth.

You can see how big and long the cheek teeth are.

Just like with an iceberg, we only see a very small portion of the tooth inside the mouth,

most of it is hidden deep inside the upper or lower jaws.

Did you know that the most common disease of horses is Gum disease? Around 70 percent of horses are affected so if your not treating your horses for gum disease you should be.

Can I tell if my horse needs a Dental?

Quite simply the answer is NO! some horses will show signs of pain or discomfort when eating or being ridden but many horses in severe pain will show little sign of a problem, so don’t be tempted to skip a dental exam.

Looking after your horse or ponies teeth correctly and learning about horse’s mouths means your horse’s mouth will be happy and pain free and you can enjoy pony club together.

To learn more visit equinedentalvets.com or facebook.com/equinedentalvet

What do horse teeth and icebergs have in common?

Horse teeth are very long and just like most of the iceberg is underneath the surface of the water, most of a horse’s tooth is inside the jaw bone of the horse’s head. We have drawn some lines in the photo above to make it easier to see... Photo courtesy Equine Dental Vets

The red line shows approximately the gum line. The blue lines show how the bone continues upwards and downwards into the jaw bones.

You can also see that the top jaw is wider than the bottom jaw, and this is why sharp points develop.

This is a tooth sawn in half to show you the channel (dark line through

the middle) where the sensitive nerve sits. Photos courtesy Equine Dental Vets