Regardless of whether your horse is a pasture pet or a pristine show horse, horse dental health is important to stay on top of. If your horse’s teeth aren’t in good condition, this impacts their health and temperament. While you don’t brush your horse’s teeth, there are things that you can do to improve your horse’s dental health, from ensuring that they have a vet to providing them with fresh, clean water.
Here are some important things to keep in mind about horse dental health. Let’s get into it.
#1. Horses’ Teeth Grow Continuously Throughout Their Lives
Since horses’ teeth grow, they need regular dental care, such as floating, in order to address any problems that can arise from this. Without regular floating, your horse may experience sharp points to their teeth, uneven wear, hooks, and other such issues that impact dental alignment. Such problems can affect your horse’s ability to chew properly, leading to weight loss.
Your vet will be able to address any issues that arise and provide you with personalized recommendations about what you specifically can do to help horse dental health.
#2. Horse Dental Health Needs Vary By Age
Just like with humans, a horse’s dental needs can vary depending on how old they are. Foals need dental check-ups in order to monitor tooth eruption. Adult horses need their teeth monitored for wear and prevention. Senior horses may face age-related challenges that necessitate specialized attention, as they can experience issues like tooth loss. Horses’ teeth also change as they age, with the front teeth becoming more angled and molars developing hooks and ridges.
While the general recommendation is that you have your horse’s teeth checked once a year, talk to your vet, as some horses may require more frequent check-ups than this. Your horse’s dentist will know the specifics of your horse’s needs and be able to recommend an appropriate check-up schedule.
#3. Horse Dental Health Impacts Their Comfort
If your horse is experiencing dental issues, this can cause them to have problems eating. It can also affect their ability to accept a bit and respond to training cues. If your horse is resisting the bit, tilting their head, dropping feed, or has difficulty chewing, these can all be signs of dental discomfort. If your horse’s teeth are diseased or sensitive, this can cause pain when drinking cold water, which can cause your horse to avoid their waterer.
Staying on top of horse dental health with regular check-ups helps with addressing problems early on, before they get the chance to escalate. This means that treatment will be simpler and less invasive, something horse, owner, and vet all greatly appreciate. Your horse’s mouth is the first part of their digestive tract, after all, so you want to avoid issues here in order to prevent much more serious issues further down.
#4. Your Horse’s Diet Matters
Horse dental health is key to maintaining proper nutrition, especially as horses head into their sunset years. Just like with humans, the quality of food and water that your horse has can affect their dental health – and the condition of your horse’s mouth will impact how they eat and drink. While horses love their sweets, limit sugar, and ensure they have quality forage and appropriate grains.
Talk to your vet about your horse’s diet, as they will be able to provide you with appropriate recommendations for each specific horse. For instance, alfalfa can be detrimental to horses with an impaired liver or kidneys; your horse may have a deficiency and need supplements to correct it, and more. With your vet’s assistance, you can ensure that your horse is on the appropriate diet for its specific needs.
You also want to ensure that your horses have access to fresh, clean water. Hydration impacts every aspect of your horse’s health, from their brain to their gut. When horses are dehydrated, this puts their health and welfare at risk by stressing their bodily functions. Easy access to fresh, clean drinking water is crucial in order to keep your horse in good health.
However, we understand that watering your horses can be more easily said than done. That’s why we here are Bar Bar A provide automatic, electric-free horse waterers. These connect directly to your water line, so that whether it’s the heat of summer or the cold of winter, your horse’s water is nice and temperate, which encourages them to drink more. Plus, you don’t have to worry about lugging buckets to fill up troughs or breaking ice.
Since the water drains back down after your horse is done drinking, you don’t have to worry about issues like algae growth. The cleaner the water, the more likely your horse is to drink it, which is a win for horse dental health and health as a whole.
Does Your Horse Have Easy Access To Fresh Clean Water?
If not, Bar Bar A is here to help. We provide automatic horse waterers throughout the United States. Our experts will be able to help you select the ideal model for your needs, such as the insulated model for the colder states. We’re passionate about making caring for your horses easier than ever.
Contact us today to learn more about our automatic horse waterers and what we can do for you.