A Second Look at Teeth

I said recently I'd catch up on subjects that haunted Diego and myself through this grueling winter... one of the 3 major subjects is teeth. I hesitated to write much about it since most people are fairly educated nowdays about having their horses teeth done, but then again I thought maybe my few lightbulb moments might help someone else along the way.

During an ordinary vet check up I had D's teeth floated in November, before the cold set in. I was pleased to see that it's becoming popular to use an electric machine/rasp now instead of just using a hand rasp (I have seen way too many vets get tired & make mistakes or jab horses to the point of major bleeding with old methods). I was also pleased to get to watch and see that the hooks were taken down.

So by December when Diego started dropping some serious weight I immediately blamed the food.  Not enough hay (which was true but another story), not enough calories, etc. I struggled the rest of the winter with what I saw as severe weight issues in Diego. Using the Body Condition Scoring system I'd say he hovered around a 3.
As you might guess the food was only part of the problem.
   By March during Diego's 2nd or 3rd adjustment, the chiropractor noted lots of extra inflammation & soreness in his jaw and poll areas. Not 3 days later D choked on his (thoroughly soaked) beet pulp. I was able to dislodge it, but 3 days after that he choked AGAIN and I had to call the vet, talk it over and finally administer Banamine to him. I'm very lucky that's all it took, I've seen a horse tubed and I'll never forget it. I emailed my chiro asking if the soreness could have contributed to improper chewing and she said possibly and referred me to a dentist she trusted. (Tim Cherry, in the FL area)
Here is an older brochure from his practice - 

I called him and we met the first week of April. I'd been pulling the beet pulp from Diego's diet and super-soaking every bit of food in utter paranoia. Tim's a very nice man, and looked D over, asked some in depth questions and went to work, explaining and showing as he went.



After quite awhile of working and balancing things out this is what he had to say:

- Despite the fact that the hooks had been floated off the edges of the teeth, Diego had "ramps" still. Meaning if you were to look at the molars from the side the beginning molars and ending molars would both curve UP to form a ramp instead of a straight line as they should. This caused HUGE problems chewing, as the top and bottom teeth couldn't meet properly to grind!
- Further, Diego's incisors were not touched. They were still quite long, and their length versus the shorter length of the molars created yet another imbalance in Diego's mouth and ability to chew.
- He described the horse as having 3 points of "balance" in their skull: The TMJ joint near the poll (surprise surprise), the seat of the molars, and the place where the incisors meet.

Since the middle point was unbalanced it made it harder on the TMJ joint particularly when functioning. He also said that horses need to be able to chew their food into 1/16th of an inch particles to be able to properly digest them! He mentioned if you're seeing whole grains in their manure (I had been seeing oats), chances are something is not allowing them to chew properly.

Wow...
I have to say since then Diego has been chewing very efficiently and has been gaining weight by leaps and bounds. The dentist recommended a dental check every 9 months for horses in light work, so we'll be seeing him again this next winter. I hate to rag on the local vets, but I am just not having alot of success with many in my area currently as far as the health of my horse. This cements yet again the need to do your research and have some idea about the issue at hand while you oversee professional work, and though they're more expensive consider that specialists often can get the job done correctly, the first time. Good recommendations from trusted, forward thinking horse people are worth their weight in gold.

Small Victories

It seems like only yesterday when I read through my horse diaries (online and offline), I was complaining about the disconnect between myself and Diego. Then on the other hand it seems like a thousand years ago...

I haven't had to go out and "catch" Diego this whole week. Despite my conversations with another boarder over the horses general clingyness in winter, changing to disinterest in humans by spring/summer with the coming of fresh grass and lots of sunlight: Diego is still meeting me at the gate. There are times he actually trots even... especially if he's alert already. All I have to do is call and emphatically prance in place and he breaks into a trot to meet me at the gate. Our extensive, repetitive work on haltering (using clicker training) has made the "catching" process and ritual he looks forward to. I usually open the gate and let him through without the halter, into the catch pen and then close the gate behind him. He's so entrenched in our routine that he goes through and turns around to wait for me, then starts reaching for the halter. He knows as soon as the halter goes on = click + treat and he arches his neck and poses accordingly.

I find it rather amusing actually... considering the barn owner tends to think my giving of treats equals a bribe or poor training. I know that's a common belief...

My goal last year was to make the greeting & haltering process more enjoyable for Diego. Plain and simple. He has never been hard to catch, but the disinterest and half hearted mental connection with me due to a forced haltering usually carried on in our work together during the course of a training day. I felt discouraged. I made the decision to make haltering rewarding and pleasant instead of demanding and "Ok hurry up, I have stuff to do." It has paid off beyond belief... He's happy to greet me and eager to be haltered and begin our interaction, and for me it caused me to shift mentally from "Uhg let me halter you and drag you back to the barn" to "Oh hello! Look how pretty and happy you are! Glad to see me?" he loves to impress with his neck arching and whuffling.

I'm sure plenty of horses will respond similarly to haltering without clicker training or even a treat - but this is what it took to bring a shut-down, formerly man-handled, cynical 20+ year old gelding out of his shell. It changed him thoroughly. I wish the barn owner, and accordingly others who judge this sort of thing, could look deeper and see the small victories achieved. This is a big milestone for us.


Likewise training has been good this week. I'm not asking alot right now because he had a chiropractor adjustment Sunday, so he had a few days off at the beginning of the week. I think the lack of heavy-impact work (riding) and the abundance of in-hand work at the walk without pressuring him into a stiff, uncomfortable trot have caused him to feel really good, and it shows in his attitude. This can be annoying sometimes - when he's feeling good he often forgets manners and tries to crowd, nip (for play), and snatch objects out of my hands (whip, lead, bag etc.). Some people may question my sanity on allowing some of this, but it is a gradual process for us. I know my horse, we've been together 15 years. I had to invite him out of his shell in his entirety (the good, the bad and the ugly), before I begin to teach and shape what he shows me.
He had to know "It's ok, just be yourself."


I've neglected to update after all the recent events we've been through: vets, chiropractors, feed changes & dentists. I am most definitely broke! I'm paying for mistakes made earlier in his ownership though, through ignorance. He's gone a long time with some injuries and health issues I didn't know about because I never bothered to check. Look for an update soon... as well as an update on my treeless saddle I've been fitting to him!