WHY DENTAL HEALTH IS SO IMPORTANT

Proper dental care is essential to your horse's health - it will ensure your horse is more comfortable, utilities feed more efficiently, performs better and may well live longer.

Malocclusions - improper position and contact between teeth - lead to inefficient chewing, bit discomfort, excessive wear and premature loss of teeth. Many horses show no symptoms of dental problems until it is too late.

Horses experiencing oral pain will not be able to perform to the best of their abilities.

Complete oral examinations every six to twelve months and regular preventative dental care allow horses to live a healthier, more comfortable life and to perform better.

If your horse has not had a check-up in the past 12 months, it is time for one now.

A thorough check-up involves using a speculum, looking in the mouth with a good headlamp, and feeling the teeth and gums. Anything less than such a thorough examination could result in a serious dental condition going unnoticed and untreated.

 

 

SIGNS A DENTAL CHECK-UP IS NEEDED

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Your horse should have a dental check-up if it is displaying any of the following signs:

  • Dropping feed
  • Weight loss
  • Head tossing while riding with a bit
  • Not wanting to collect
  • Dunking hay in the water

You should also remember that your horse may not show any of these signs, and could be suffering in silence.

FULL RANGE OF SERVICES PEGASUS PROVIDES

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Our dental services include:

  • Routine point removal
  • Cap identification and extraction
  • Hook removal
  • Ramp removal
  • Ridge correction
  • Wave correction
  • Incisor reduction
  • Incisor realignment
  • Bit seats
  • Wolf teeth removal
  • Molar extraction
  • Quality routine rasping

We use the latest equipment to minimize stress and discomfort to the horse, including manual rasps as well as power equipment.

Dental records and a chart supplied for every horse.

We operate a dental reminder service so that you know when the next check-up is due.

BENEFITS OF EQUINE DENTISTRY

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Horses, like people, need regular dental check-ups - at least once a year, sometimes more frequently if dental problems have occurred in the past.

Many horses from cuts, sores and mouth ulcers without the owners' knowledge, as it is difficult to see into a horse's mouth without a speculum.

Some problems are very common and can go unnoticed until they become very severe, when the horse will misbehave and lose weight.

Benefits of good dental care include:

  • Weight gain.
  • Improved performance under saddle.
  • Horses happier to carry a bit.
  • Preventing and reducing behaviour such as rearing, bucking and napping.
  • Increased airflow for race and competition horses through creating bit seats.
  • Performance-correcting issues in the mouth that effect racing, riding or showing - bit seats to improve proper biting, reducing over-long teeth that may cause head tossing, removing very sharp points that cause lacerations to the interior of the mouth (cheeks and tongue).
  • Increasing horse longevity by up to five years by balancing the mouth to maximise the use of the teeth.
  • Saving money on feed - reducing feed falling from the mouth and giving horses the ability to chew feed fully and properly.
  • Identifying bad teeth, correcting over-powering teeth, removing loose teeth and monitoring potential.