04/11/2021
I’m going to bring up a sensitive topic because by refusing to discuss it in a civilized manner, we are hurting those we love.
When we avoid ordering regular dental work on our horses, we aren’t proving anything other than this one uncomfortable fact. We are willing to hurt our own horses... and too often, turn a blind eye while doing so.
In my neck of the woods, the people who use equine dentists are seemingly at odds with the people who favour vets. Those who shun power floats are cross-threaded with those who scoff at hand tools. Those who want their horses sober for all procedures are arguing with those who choose sedation. And guess what?
None of this really matters if we’re feeding or riding horses who haven’t had any attention to what is really going on inside their mouths.
I've too many people messaging for advice on training issues. When asked about the state of their horses’ teeth, they’ll admit that their horses have never had dental care. They would rather put on a new noseband, or buckle up their spurs, rather than get the work done that would allow their horses to bend and relax their jaws so that they could perform in comfort.
I know people who would rather buy bag after bag of supplemental feed for an unthrifty doer, rather than ask for help from a dentist or qualified vet... Horses who are fat or in good flesh, so are obviously 'not needing anything done'... Stoic horses who are somehow still working—still winning—and their owners will argue against the need for dentistry, even when faced with scarred cheeks or ‘quidding’ as evidence.
Many people argue that until there is a governing body of dentistry in their area, they won’t be having work done on their horses. Period.
Today was dental day for my gang. It wasn’t the easiest day in the world. Cold and windblown, I stood with my hands in my pockets while razor-sharp caps were popped off a three-year-old. I watched work being done on a new saddle horse with the worst mouth I’ve seen in ages… and this, in a horse whose sellers professed to love him. I also heard the words that anyone who owns an old-timer dreads, that my dear fellow is finally running out of teeth. In my discomfort, guilt and sadness, however, I took strength in knowing that they were getting the help they need and deserve.
Is it expensive? Yes, sometimes. I prefer to think that I am protecting the investment that my good horses represent, in both dollars and the places they hold in my heart. For years now, I have had my horses in a regular annual rotation… and I can only beg forgiveness for the horses in my past who were not.
‘When we know better, we can do better’ people say. Thing is, most of us know better by now.
When we sign up to owning horses, we must do the right thing to care for those in our charge. This includes the concept of doing no harm. If we’re feeding, riding or expecting a certain level of training or performance from our horses, we must do what is required to make their comfort and wellbeing possible.
Instead, I listen to people argue incessantly about which dentist to favour and which ones to avoid. I hear them saying that power floats wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near their horses. Ditto, the subject of sedation. They are so vehement in their beliefs, that they often have the effect of scaring other owners away from doing what needs to be done. They have certainly made many owners, myself included, leery of offering recommendations or naming names.
Whatever I say, I know that you’ll keep on doing you. I’ll likely keep on doing me.
Whatever our views on the hot topic of looking a horse—gifted or otherwise—in the mouth, promise me this. That you and I aren’t being neglectful in the process of making our points. If it’s been longer than a year—and that includes never!—make an equine dental appointment today.
When it comes to much in horsemanship, there are too many of us who would rather be ‘right’… than have our horses ever be happy. And that, my friends, is a crying shame.
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Please note that any disrespectful comments about certain professionals will be deleted and not discussed here. In western Canada, strides are being made to regulate the industry for the first time. I am openly addressing all the owners—still in the majority, I fear—who will not put money into that profoundly dark hole that is the horse's mouth.
