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Got teeth floated for two of the horses today. They should be grinding like organ monkeys!

Anyone else?

I had these two new mules of mine done this spring also. Amazing how many horse/mule owners never have it down.

I never had my 19 year old grey gelding done. Owned him 12 years , never needed it. Other horses I owned for any length of time I had their teeth floated.

Pat-
how did you determine that the gelding didn't need teeth floated? All horse need their teeth floated as the teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetime, but I'm sure you know this.

They don't need floating as often as they get older though.

When I start colts I have wolf teeth pulled if present and any sharp edges smoothed. After that it's check annually. Past few years I've been selling them before they need done again.

A couple signs I go by is spilling feed and or the bit bothering them.

It is not so much the growth , but older horses might need the fronts filed down besides the molars. If you ever look at a horse's jaw and teeth, the molar wear is always sloped from the outside (the cheek side) to downwards on the tongue side. The horse chews, moving his lower jaw sideways eventually causing the outer edge( cheek side) to develop points on the molars that interfere with chewing and can cause cuts in the cheek.

Floating refers to filing those points down that not only stops cuts to the cheek, but aids in the side to side chewing.

Unless you have one of those contraptions that locks a horse's mouth open, the only way you can effectively check a horse's molars for those points is to reach in and grab the tongue, pull it out and to the side of the mouth. Then you can safely stick a few fingers to the back of the horse's mouth while you are holding the tongue and feel for those points

Regular dental care of floating every 2-3 years helps the horse chew better so that they are more thrifty with their food.

I did all of mine but one last fall I have a young gelding that needs his done pretty near every fall my old Morgan mare usually needs doing every 3-4 years I check them every fall after hunting season just before I kick them out for the winter.

My vet floats them, when I would get him to do other horses he would check the the 19 year old and said he didn't need it done so I never had him done. He eats fine, slide your arm up his mouth and no sharp edges. His wolfs teeth might need some filing, the bit gets hung up sometimes when you take off the bridal.

5 horses done and a root canal for the wife. Dental sticker shock this month

"Pat85 His wolfs teeth might need some filing, the bit gets hung up sometimes when you take off the bridal."

Probably his upper canines vs wolf teeth. Wolf teeth tend to get sensitive when hit with the bit.

Going rate here to float one horse is $143.

I have an equine dentists check mine every 6 months.

Here its over $200. Back in the day it was a farriers job to float teeth. When I did my 2 yr apprenticeship with my Gramps who was an Irish trained Master Farrier. He taught me to float as part of my training. With our string the CFO(wife lol) is most glad he did.

Lisa do the horses Dan?

Sorry to hear about the wife.

Yes we used lisa.

Lisa Barnes? She is a good one.Horses/Mules have four quadrents of teeth all possesing 11 numbered teeth. 1-3 are incisors 4 is the canine 5 the wolf tooth, 6-8 the premolars, 9-11 the molars. Horses chew down out up and in, only one side of the cheek teeth(Molars,premolars) will engage at a time. The actual grinding occurs as the jaw moves from outword towards center. The sharp points on the sides are indications of poor occlusion(The front teeth, incisors) are too long. Too long of incisore seperate the jaw from the skull (The incisors are in contact in a horse not like ours where the lowers set inside the uppers) this jaw seperation causes hypereruption of the cheek teeth in the oral cavity and in essence too much tooth in the mouth. The points are sharp because they are not being used to grind.The points are the left over cingula or grooves and undulations on the side of the teeth, I believe they provide more surface area for the periodontal ligament to attach the tooth below the gum to the alveolus.(Socket in the skull) These points can be self perpetuating because as the jaw drops to chew the opposite side of teeth will engage the cheek and cause pain preventing the horse fom full excurding its grinding stroke. Less of the cheek teeth table is used to chew and more of a sharp edged with the points are formed. A properly balanced saddle horse or mule should have very few sharp points, full caudal rostral movement of the mandible (Jaw) as the head is lowered or raised.(This will prevent TMJ pain that is often exhibited with head shaking or rooting the reins when ridden) Similar clinical crown height and angle of cheek teeth, a incisor angle of about 5 to 12 degrees, and nicely dressed bit seats on the # 6 premolars. I also prefer to have the corner incisors reduced out of occlusion at the corners. Young equidaes will need more frequent dental work (They will be shedding cheek teeth until 3.5 yrs and incisors until 4.5) as will timed event performance animals. The most peskiest thing to balance in my opinion is lower 8 waves. But protuberant upper 10,s and lower 11 ramps are the most common malady, except for loss of molar occlusion by overlong too steep incisors. There are exceptional equines, but most require a minimum of yearly dental visits are required to obtain the level of equine dental balance I am speaking of.

Yup. That Lisa.

We have ours done every year.

I have my mules done about every two years.

My neighbor has two old mules. One is about 35 years old the other will never see 40 again. I bet no one has ever looked in those mules mouth and they are in darn good shape considering their age.

A lot of what us humans do that we think makes the equine feel or do better probably makes us feel al lot better than the equine.

We have ours checked/floated every year.

The decision to float or wait until next year, we leave to the dentist.

I've done some floating in the past, but a dentist in a different and better approach.

Two phrases I enjoy over this subject:

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

You can lead a human to wisdom.......but you can't make em think.

[quote=Angus1895]Two phrases I enjoy over this subject:

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

You can lead a--------------

Angus. The problem with your overly long explanation is that very few areas in the country have a vet trained in equine dentistry.

Your entire methodology might very well be 100% correct, but in the real world achieving those goals might be impossible.

As previously posted floating was usually done by a farrier in the earlier days. Then with more and more vets on the scene, it was taken over by them. Still a lot of big and small ranches, outfitters with remudas, and such are still are a long ways from a vet and even if they are, doing even a string of 30-40 horses is cost prohibitive, let alone having a specialize equine dentist do it.

At the turnoff the century at 1900 give or take quite a few years, when there were 5 times as many , if not more equines in use, you can bet they did not meet all your specifications of dental conformation and got along quite well

Horses that are predominantly out on pasture require less dental care than those on processed feed and hay. So they can get along fairly well with yearly or even 2-3 year inspections. Horse that are stalled, etc.,not so much.


I'm not sure if your post was just a general observation or directed at anyone in particular, but even in equine dentistry, one size does not fit all

You were able to make more sense of that post than I was!



The reply was to me and followed my post, but appears random and irrelevant.

I was told that exactly the opposite when it come to equine dentistry in the past. Every seventh man in the Cavalry packed a speculum and floats. I have even seen powerfloats that were run by bicycle apparatus. I guess the guy as a kid pedaled the bike while grandpa floated the horse. If one finds a true equine dentist, it will not be insanity, the equines mouth WILL get better, and it WILL get cheaper. My refloats on a balanced mouth are about $125 per year and by gosh they are on the money. I am on the road right now in Minnesota (been here doing teeth since May 19). When I get home to Idaho I will get proficient at photo bucket and show some photo's of my own strings teeth before and after. I will also post some photo's of wild australian mustangs teeth. I know other equine dentists, I bet I could find some one that does what I do that goes through your area. A picture says a thousand words so until I get home I will STFU.
I am only trying to help you have a better Horse/Mule/Donkey. I apologise if I offended anyone. I can tell there is care and concern for the animal out there. (That is why me and my wife just floated near 500 head on this trip) Once again I am not trying to offend anyone, only help.

Well with that last post you did offend probably quite few.

People here want genuine information, but you don't need to infer that they are stupid after you post that info.

I would be interested in what portion of those 500 horses you have done were on pasture or stalled and what is the type of horse owner you service? Tracks, show, backyard pets?

A simple floating here runs $143 so I doubt a specialist is going to be less.

I pay 125 to an equine dentist for floating.

What I will illustrate is once a horse is setup and maintained using the Jeffery Paradigm, as in similar crown height and similar table angles in the cheek teeth. A 5 degree or so incisor table angle and much molar occlusion as possible. It is hard for them to be much work to maintain that way.
You are correct my initial charges to get a horse on the way to being balanced are closer to $225. But once it is balanced The time and therefore the expense of maintaining the equines teeth on a six month or yearly basis take about 15 minutes.This usually occurs on the third visit(3 in 18 months) It is not hard keep a pasture horse balanced on a yearly basis in most cases for under $125. (Unless they are naughty). So that is my point about the insanity deal. If you find the right dentist, pay a little more upfront, you will get really good results in both performance and utilization of feed and most likely end up paying less in the long run.

Anyways I do mostly quarter horses,thoroughbreds, and warmbloods in Minnesota. Most are stalled with turnout. I do a bunch of horses in a valley near days creek Oregon. Those horses grazing on that mountain side have excellent dentition as they are most like a true desert horse and keep their incisors very short. I believe it is all about keeping as little clinical crown in the mouth, the shorter the teeth the less unstable and protuberant they can get. Like I say when I finish emptying out my Moms house and get home I will post some photo's and illustrations.

Would appreciate the photos or such when you get home.

Thanks