Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

New horse may have tooth problem

From: Janine

Dear Jessica, my new horse is a mustang. He is seven years old and is still pretty much of a wild horse. I bought him from his first owner who I guess thought it would be pretty cool to adopt a mustang but then was too afraid of him to ride him or even handle him much. She adopted him when he was three and then just basically left him alone on the range (she has 400+ acres) for the last four years except that her husband roped him and choked him down once a year for the vet to give his shots etc. I have spent the last four months since I got him just gentling him very quietly and not pushing him. He is very smart and is really cooperative which is amazing to me when I think that this is probably the first time anybody asked him to do anything instead of either ignoring him or roping him and choking him down. I can't even rope a plastic steer that's standing still (yes, I've tried) so I don't use a rope. He's safe with me! Anyway I am not anywhere near ready to try to put him into a bridle yet but I have been putting a halter on him and taking it off, just to get him used to that. I want my vet to be able to handle him with maybe just some sedative but without any choke ropes. He is good about the halter, he is leading pretty well and he has already learned to put his head down for me, but I wonder about his teeth. I don't think that the vet ever floated his teeth when his previous owner still had him. I keep wondering if he has a problem with his teeth. You always say to watch for a horse that is holding his head on one side, or has food falling out of his mouth when he chews, but he doesn't seem to have those problems.

My vet will be coming out to my ranch to do fall shots in three weeks. He told me to let him know if I think Solar has any sharp points that he will need to remove. I don't think I'm brave enough to stick my hand into Solar's mouth yet! But how else can I find out? Or do you think my vet was kidding? Is there some way I can find out if Solar has sharp edges on his teeth, or should I just wait for my vet to come out? Wouldn't he check all of Solar's teeth anyway? I can't always tell about my vet, he is a great vet and the horses all like him, but he has a very dry sense of humor and sometimes I don't know when he is serious and when he is being funny or at least thinks that he is being funny (he makes some pretty bad jokes sometimes).

Thanks for all your great advice over the last four years since I've been a HORSE-SENSE subscriber. I love the archives! They answer so many of my questions.

Janine

Hi Janine! I don't know whether your vet was kidding or not, but please keep your hands out of your new horse's mouth. You're on the right track with Solar - don't put him in a position where he'll feel afraid or threatened, and don't put yourself in a position where you can so easily be bitten. You've done wonders considering that you've had your new (and basically untouched) Mustang for only four months. Be patient - eventually you and your horse will know each other well enough that you'll be able to handle the inside of his mouth, but don't try it just yet.

If he's been eating hay and grass - especially grass - all his life, with little or no grain, his teeth may be in surprisingly good shape. Constant grazing and chewing can wear a horse's teeth down fairly evenly, so it's possible that he doesn't have any major dental problems. If he does have sharp edges, here's a tip: Those sharp edges tend to show up on BOTH sides; that is, on the inside of the horse's teeth where they can cut his tongue, and also on the outside where they can rub against the insides of his cheeks. At this point, I wouldn't recommend trying to feel the outside of his molars directly, but you might want to find out whether Solar will stand quietly whilst you rub his muzzle and then move up so that you are rubbing the outside of his cheeks on both sides, over his teeth. If he accepts the rubbing happily, or looks a little confused, but doesn't jump or jerk away from your hand or sit back and pull, he probably isn't suffering from sharp edges, at least not in those areas. If he DOES suddenly jump back or jerk away, or consistently looks cranky and pulls away from you when you reach a certain spot, then I'd say that he may well have sharp edges on the teeth in that area. If so, make a mental note so that you can tell your vet, and then stop rubbing your horse's cheeks.

Keep the experience of having his head handled as pleasant as possible for Solar. Since you're not planning to put a bridle on him any time soon, and since your vet will be there in a month anyway and will check his teeth - ALL of his teeth - at that time, there's no need for you to do anything that might frighten or annoy your horse. But if he doesn't mind having his cheeks rubbed, try making it a part of his regular all-over handling routine. As long as he's calm and accepting, it won't do any harm to help him become accustomed to more "up close and personal" handling than he may have experienced in the past.

Congratulations - it sounds as though you've found a nice horse. And congratulations to Solar, too, because it sounds as though he's found the right home at last.

Jessica

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