My horse has hooked shaped teeth in the very back of her mouth. What is this and what should I do about it?

Thanks for your help.

My horse has hooked shaped teeth in the very back of her mouth. What is this and what should I do about it?
When was the last time your horses teeth were floated?





Horses teeth grow continuously during their lifetime. Because they chew in a side to side motion (rather then our up and down motion) their teeth can wear unevenly. If their teeth are not floated they can have difficulty eating and can even injure the insides of their mouth with the sharp edges of their teeth.





Basically when you horses teeth are "floated" the are sedated and their teeth are filed down.





Hope this helps!





After seeing Kristy's post I realized that I did make a broad judgement on saying they are always sedated. I guess it would depend on the horse and the situation. I did a little more research and found a relatively informative site on the web about getting your horses teeth floated





http://www.equidentistry.com/page3.html
Reply:she obviously hasnt seen a dentist in a while, just call your local farrier and the will assess the damage and probably just file it down.








it might be hurting her though so if she is getting narky when you put the bridle on you can be sure that that is the problem
Reply:althea88 has a great answer!
Reply:Call a horse dentist and get him to have a look at them, he will most likely fix the problem which will make your horse behave better while being ridden and also help her eat better.


If you can, try and find a dentist who does not use gags or sedate. I have the most wonderful dentist who doesnt use any gags or drugs (just horse 'whispering) and my horse behaves perfectly (he basically falls asleep)- they just need to know theyre safe.
Reply:As the others have said - phone an equine dentist. Your vet will likely also sort her out for you. It's important that you have her teeth looked at every 6 months or so, to prevent hooks which can affect her ability to eat, and make having a bit in very uncomfortable.





On the issue of sedation: I have held dozens of horses over 20-odd years for the dentist - including stallions - and not one time has the horse needed a sedative. Obviously it depends on the horse as an individual and some will need to be "calmed", but a good dentist does not need to sedate in order to get to the back of the mouth.
Reply:Hey,





the comment about megsy can be added to!..





farriers might have numbers to farriers but i found that my farrier only had contacts to dentists that werent lisenced to give injections of anesthetics





your far better going through your vet this way they can give your horse an anesthetic so your horse is worry free while they are having their teeth done therefore dramaticly reducing the likelyhood of an accident





oh and also i suggest you get in contact with your vet asap cos it can make horses incredibly uncomfortable and create some costly effects! has she been cranky lately? if so that is quite possibly why..





you might have a much happier pony soon





just some tips :)





good luck





charlotte
Reply:definately you need to get a dentist . depending on how bad your horses teeth are , your horse may need to be sedated . so be prepared . although my new horse dentist doesn't sedate my horses ... i guess it just depends on the person
Reply:It's wear from the grinding way they chew. As other posters have said, a visit from your vet or an equine dentist is called for. Dental floating, and an annual exam/quick touch up will keep this from happening to the point of causing your horse discomfort.
Reply:you should have the vet come down and check your horse out. if they are wolf teeth your vet will remove them... or if need be will float them to get rid of sharp edges
Reply:They need to be floated. They use a rasp, to do it. You can call your vet, a equine dentist. I had a mare that would hold her mouth open for you to float her teeth. I own my own rasp because of her..... It will start causing her pain if not taken care of.
Reply:You should find a equine dentist and have the horse's teeth floated which means to file the teeth down to normal size
Reply:they are his or her wolf teeth you can get them removed if you use a bit. if you don't use a bit they don't need to be pulled till she is much older and that's only if they affect her gaining weight