One very sweet five year old quarter horse mare was brought to me to be trained under saddle.  She was extremely underweight and hated the bit.  She had been seen by two veterinarians that had floated her teeth and pronounced her sound and said it was just her youth and to watch her.  Well, time went on and she would gobble up her grain but could not eat her hay.  She just chewed it up and spit it out.  We took her to another vet who did a more thorough exam and found a splinter stuck down her gum line next to one of her back molars.  She had been chewing on wood and got the splinter because her teeth are not lined up properly.   According to the equine dentist, a horses teeth are so closely fit together that dental floss would not even be able to be inserted as in our teeth.  This is so that their molars act as one huge tooth.  This mares molars were not lined up like that and allowed spaces which also caused her to have gum disease.  She is fine now, although she will have to be watched and have her mouth rinsed daily to make sure all the grain, grass, hay, etc. does not lodge into that space and cause her more problems.   Hopefully, as she gets older, her teeth with line up properly.

Another horse we have is actually one of ours that we had started to sell, but decided that he is such a wonderful horse, that we would keep him.  However, he is parrot mouthed.  That means he has a huge overbite.  This has not caused him any issues with eating, but it has caused him bit issues.  We have to keep his molars floated on a yearly basis to keep the bit from causing him problems.  It is always a good idea to have your horses teeth floated on a yearly basis anyway, so this poses no problem for us.  We will just take the initiative and have him see the dentist every six months until he reaches his full growth at about 6 years old.  His front teeth may at one point need to be reshaped since they won’t be hitting together to keep them worn down.

The third horse I have worked with this summer is a wonderful TWH.  She is having a few problems with her bit.  She doesn’t like it and she is slightly under weight.  Her owner told me that she was thin when he got her.  That’s ok, some horses just don’t gain a lot of weight.  But I did notice this mare does not finish her hay.  So I started feeding her gran twice a day and bumped it up to three times a day since she is older.  I was thinking her age was her problem.  But when I went to drive her, she constantly fought the bit.  Ok, I understand a driving bit is not what she is used to having in her mouth.   But she has had enough time to get used to that bit and drives quite well.  Today I decided to look in her mouth just to be on the cautious side.  Well sure enough, huge hooks on her molars that need to come off.  She is in pain when she eats and is obviously in pain when she is bitted.  So once again we will be seeing the equine dentist.
I had not even heard of equine dentistry as a specialty until we had the five year old quarter horse with the splinter issue.  Lots of veterinarians have equine dentistry as one of their services, but it usually just involves floating and minor surgery.  I would recommend you find an actual equine dentist to consult with on issues that go beyond normal floating.   Ask your vet, he can always point you in the right direction.

One of the best times I have had all summer is while I am riding a young horse and watching it become a more experienced and confident mount for its owner. Small techniques such as moving off ones leg can make the horse so much more confident and fun to ride. Stopping when it feels the rider sit deep in the saddle rather than having the rider haul on its mouth for a whoa is calming for horse and rider.  Anything I can teach the horse builds confidence in it and then to be able to teach the owner what those cues are just cements the bond between the two.

I am always open to suggestions and continue taking lessons myself and educating myself with classes and research on how to be a better trainer.  There are lots and lots of trainers, information and advice and it is important to find the techniques that work best for oneself.  Incorporate what you learn from others into your own style and you will be the best equine owner you know.

Should you have questions or need help, please search out my website at www.baymountfarm.com and email me.

Please have a great experience with your equine friend and have a safe ride.   Sherry