A Visit From the Dentist

Just like humans, horses need routine dental care. Some horses are able to go twelve months in between appointments, while others require more frequent visits. Our 4 year old OTTB loves being pampered, so she had no issues with any of the tools our equine dentist used to float her teeth last week.

On the other hand, our 17 year old OTTB was terrified of the strange, shiny objects and loud noises that ensued with their use. Recognizing her trepidation due to past trauma, the dentist calmly entered her stall and began to desensitize her to his voice and his tools. After a few moments, she relaxed significantly, allowing him to begin his work. While she had a couple of other small spooks throughout the remainder of the appointment, the dentist did not react to her fears.

At the end of her appointment, it was concluded that her teeth had not been floated in an unknown number of YEARS. She had 2 fangs. This actually made sense, as we witnessed her slow eating habits and frequent discomfort associated with wearing a bit for months.

While some may have gone straight to sedation upon sensing fear, this man recognized and tailored his care to the individual needs of our horses. Although the same breed, our girls are not the same in terms of personality. Equine welfare is so important to us and we couldn’t be happier to have this guy as one of the many valuable members on our horses’ care team!

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With H.O.P.E.

Diana Bezdedeanu