An Insight into Equine Dentistry

When did Equine Dentistry first start?

Many people believe that equine dentistry is a new concept and think it has only been around for 20 years or so. In fact equine dentistry of a fashion was first recorded in 300 BC in ancient China and has continued in various forms to this present day.

 

When and how often horses should have their teeth looked
Horses ideally need to be checked within 24 hours of being born with routine dental check-ups and floating every 6 months until the horse is dentally mature at five years old.  If everything is normal then check-ups can be lengthened to every 8 - 12 months. If the horse is working and/or competing regularly or has any issues with its teeth then check-ups should remain at every 6 months. 

 

My horse is only young so does he need his teeth doing?

Yes, see the previous answer.  Young and older horses need more dental check ups.

 

Horses in the wild don’t have their teeth done so why should domesticated horses? 
It's true that wild horses don’t have routine dental work but they also don’t wear bridles, race, jump, hunt, assist in police work and (once upon a time) go to battle.  If a horse in the wild was to fracture their teeth or damage their jaw, then they would probably not survive much longer due to starvation or becoming weak and at risk of being caught by a predator.