The Horse Dentist Pays a Visit to my Stable

April 21, 2010

The Horse Dentist Pays a Visit to my Stable

Last week, my horses were paid a visit by Brian Stuart, their lay equine dentist. You may recall a blog I posted about this topic a couple of years ago. It is good practice for humans to be seen by a dentist twice a year for cleanings and checkups. It’s also an important practice for horses to be seen by a dentist just as often because, unlike human teeth, a horse’s teeth continue to grow, developing sharp edges. Chewing food becomes uncomfortable and digestion becomes a problem. And a horse’s mood becomes irritable when there is tenderness inside the mouth. These issues are solved by a process called floating, which means to smooth and contour equine teeth using special files, called floats. Brian Stuart, who learned his profession through apprenticeship, is highly adept in this field. Brian also has what this job requires – excellent horse skills and the ability to communicate with them.

: Rutger knows that the horse dentist is here and that his turn in next.

: Brian is saying ‘hello’ to Rutger and is establishing his trust. He begins by running his fingers up and down the inside of Rutger’s cheeks to feel for scratches, cuts, sores, or anything unusual.