In equestrian sport, where every detail adds or subtracts, the The horse’s oral health is one of the least visible and most determining pillars for its well-being.. A mouth in poor condition has an impact on nutrition, digestion and something as essential in the sport as contact with the rider. He equine dentist Sergio Solerwith extensive experience in the field, explains why a timely dental check-up can radically change the horse’s performance and comfort.
“The mouth is the beginning of feeding and also the place where we place the bit or fillet, our direct point of contact with the horse. If its oral health is poor, the animal will have worse digestion, will take less advantage of the food and will feel contact with the rider as something uncomfortable or even painful,” points out Sergio Soler. “The most common mistake is not maintaining a dental care routine. Everyone knows how often a horse should be shod, but the mouth is usually left out. There are owners who go years without doing a check-up, simply because they are not aware of how necessary it is. Horses’ mouths should be checked at least once a year.“says the dentist.
“A horse with discomfort will protest when being ridden and will eat abnormally: too slowly or too fast. These are non-specific signals and are often difficult to interpret, so periodic check-ups are essential. The horse is an animal that acts or ancestrally acted as prey. In a herd, the weakest is the first to be attacked, so it will try not to show pain. Even with significant discomfort, it will do its best to hide it while eating, giving a false sense of normality,” points out Sergio Soler.
“The most common pathologies are enamel tips, known as “spikes”.which are prevented and corrected with annual maintenance. In recent years there has been an increase in cavities in molarsrelated to the high sugar content of certain feeds, and also degenerative pathologies such as EOTRH, which is an odotoclastic resorption and hypercementation of the horse’s teeth, a consequence of the fact that today horses have a longer life expectancy. Resorption is the demineralization of a tissue, leading to the formation of real holes in the non-visible part of the tooth,” says the dentist. And you highlight the differences between the dental problems of young, adult and senior horses: “Young horses have sharper teeth and faster growth, while in senior horses the teeth are more worn and may even be mobile. For this reason, the diet must always be adapted to the age of the animal.” And about the myth of knowing the exact age of a horse by looking at its teeth, Sergio details: “In young horses it is quite precise and can be estimated with relative accuracy up to eight or ten years old. From that age onwards, many factors come into play and the age can only be approximated within a range of two or three years.”
The mouth is essential in the horse’s performance and contact because “it is the direct point of communication between rider and horse. I always explain that it is like running a marathon with a stone in your shoe: you can, yes, but no one would want to do it in those conditions. Exactly the same thing happens in the horse’s mouth; a slight discomfort can alter the whole thing. Depending on the age and the performance required, check-ups will have to be carried out. As a general rule, one yearly one is enough. For highly competitive or highly demanding horses, I recommend check-ups every six or eight months to avoid any discomfort right at key moments.
“There are more and more conscientious owners and trainers who turn to the specialist. Even so, there are still those who leave it for when a problem already exists, instead of preventing it,” says Sergio, so it is best to “schedule dental check-ups as part of the horse’s annual routine, setting a date that is easy to remember. And, as far as possible, have specialists in each area – dentistry, physiotherapy… -, because teamwork always offers the best results,” he concludes.
