Mystery Solved on Behavior Problems: Advances in Equine Dentistry

Every time you get on your horse, he jerks his head up and back so hard you think he's going to flip over. Or whenever you stop your horse, he suddenly bolts and turns into a runaway. Or maybe he tosses his head the whole time you're trying to put the bridle on or while you ride. Or, maybe, he just won't relax at the poll or bend in one direction or the other.

If you are experiencing mysterious behavioral problems and have been unable to find a solution, the answer may lie in the horse's mouth.

There are so many variations on how horses express their pain that the list could go on and on. Unfortunately, we humans tend to assume any negative behavior is a punishable offense or, at the least, the horse needs to be shipped off to the trainer for a tune-up.

One of the first steps in resolving behavioral problems is to insure that the horse is not in physical distress. While you may think your horse is just being mean to you when he does bad things, most of the time these bad behaviors are a reaction to inescapable pain. He's really not out to get you. It's not personal. He just hurts.

While the above examples occur more than we realize, oftentimes horses endure levels of pain with stoic tolerance that would knock us to our knees. He may not become a runaway or flip over backwards, but he may refuse to soften or bend, or will wring his tail, or maybe he will just be anxious when bridled or ridden. A visit to your vet is the first step in sleuthing the source of the problem. Unfortunately, the mouth is frequently overlooked as a potential source of pain. It's not directly connected to the back and legs. Another reason it is overlooked is the lack of tools to perform a thorough examination of the entire mouth. Most vets will make a perfunctory check for points or wolf teeth, but may not be able to find rough edges or points far in the back of the mouth or locate the lesions on the tongue which result from rubbing against abrasive teeth. One nationally recognized veterinarian has made it his life's work to learn all he can about relieving this very common source of pain. Dr. Clay Stubbs of Johnson City, Texas is truly a pioneer in this small but growing field of specialization. As a 1965 graduate of Texas A & M University, his career includes many years in successful general practice. During those years, Stubbs admits he was as ignorant of the repercussions of teeth problems as any vet. In large part this is due to the lack of education provided in the standard curriculum of most vet schools.

When Dr. Stubbs talks about his profession, he is adamant about differentiating between comprehensive dentistry and the generally accepted level of dentistry found in equine practice today. Competent horse dentistry is a fairly new area of specialization and Dr. Stubbs is one of just a few full time practitioners throughout the United States. He made the decision to specialize in dentistry due to the high number of behavior problems in horses that he found were a direct result from pain originating within the horse's mouth.

During the years since specializing in dentistry, he has invented close to 40 designs for dental tools and holds 5 patents on his creations. These designs were developed for the purposes of allowing the dentist to have access to the entire mouth, and the tools to make a complete exam and perform the corrective work. Dr. Stubbs has compiled written manuals and pictorials for any practitioner who purchases these tools and he is ready and willing to assist in educating vets to improve their success with dentistry.

One of his most ingenious designs is a portable vet stock that he takes on the road for ranch calls. This is no ordinary stock. It has 14 hinged gate openings to allow entry, exit, and access to the horse. It has a series of pulleys to allow the vet to get and hold the horse's head in position. It has its own floor and rotates to a horizontal position over an axle for travel. Another unique tool created by Stubbs is a lighted speculum that holds the mouth open and the tongue out of the way. Even in broad daylight it is not easy to see 14 inches into the mouth cavity, hence the need for a light at the point of the exam. Most of the problems that cause performance problems are at the back of the mouth, which is the most inaccessible part of the mouth. The speculum allows the vet to see to the back of the mouth and to get his tools there without interference from or to the tongue or cheeks.

It is alarming how many horse owners are not even aware of the need to float teeth, much less, just how critically important it is to all aspects of a horse's behavior. Many owners believe that as long as the horse is fat or looking healthy there is no problem with the teeth. So you may be surprised to learn that regular checkups at the dentist are just as important to your horse as it is for you.

Floating is a masonry term which describes the leveling a row of bricks and is the medical term used for the rasping or filing of equine teeth for the purpose of evening the chewing surface and removing hooks and rough edges.

Common dental problems include: sharp points on the cheek teeth (molars), retained caps (baby molars), pain from the bit coming into contact with wolf teeth, hooks on cheek teeth. long or sharp canine teeth, lost or broken teeth, uneven bite planes, excessively worn teeth, infected teeth, misalignment, and even gum disease. In addition to points, the enamel ridges on the sides of the teeth create a wavy surface. As the chewing surface wears away, a serrated edge forms on the edges of the teeth.

How much these problems affect the horse is determined by the amount of damage that results and how much pain the horse can endure.

A thorough exam is required to detect these types of problems, however, without tools such as the ones invented by Stubbs it is difficult, if not impossible, for the practitioner to access the entire mouth, teeth, and tongue. Vets can buy a variety of blades or floats, both manual and powered, and Stubbs is convinced that any equine dentist should be well equipped. He believes a variety of tool sizes and shapes are necessary to reach and treat different areas of the mouth. Power tools make the job easier and more efficient. One advantage is that a power tool with a controlled stroke reduces bumping the back of the mouth.

A horse with dental problems may show symptoms other than drooling, head tossing, bit chewing, or dribbling feed. Tail wringing, bucking, and running off are a few behaviors we would not normally even think to associate with mouth pain.

Some signs to watch for between checkups include: loss of feed from the mouth while eating, loss of weight or body condition, undigested feed particles in the manure, poor performance and/or behavioral problems, foul odors (bad breath), traces of blood from the mouth, nasal discharge, swelling in or around the mouth or jaw, or chronic colic.

In the wild, horses have little or no need for dentistry. But thanks to our need to alter the natural habits of the horse to satisfy our requirements for easy access and upkeep, we have created a problem that Mother Nature had already solved. Wild horses spend about 16 hours a day grazing on all sorts of grasses, bushes, and weeds. In the process of ripping the stems of plants they wear their teeth down and also pick up dirt and sand that act as an abrasive against the molars during the chewing process. Natural selection eliminated any horses that had teeth that did not function correctly throughout the life of the animal.

The domesticated horse, on the other hand, eats hay that is already cut from the stem and grains or pellets that are much softer than anything found in the wild. The lack of abrasion may allow the teeth to become excessively long or to wear unevenly.

Teeth grow into the horse's mouth up to about the age of 5, then they continue to push into the mouth for the rest of the horse's life at a rate of about 1/8 inch per year which is the same rate the teeth would wear away if the horse sustained itself on a natural diet. The top teeth overhang the bottom teeth, and long, sharp points can develop in only one year. The rows of teeth wear at a slope, making points worse on the outside of the top teeth and the inside of the lower teeth.

Back points (behind last teeth) create the most pain because cheeks and jaws are tighter there, muscling is stronger, and the tongue is too restricted to move away from the points. For example, a sharp point on a back tooth can cause the horse to refuse to flex at the poll or to resist being haltered because the soft tissues are crowded together at the throat. A head tilt is often the result of lacerations on the back or sides of the tongue from rubbing against sharp teeth.

All sorts of head carriage problems originate from the horse's attempts to evade the pain from pressures against lesions on the tongue. Contrary to popular belief, young horses are much more in need of dental check-ups than the mature horse. Between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years, twenty-four deciduous, or baby teeth, are in the process of falling out and being replaced by the permanent, or adult, teeth. At any given time a horse could have as many as 12-16 permanent teeth erupting at once. Sometimes during the growing years baby teeth don't fallout, and they cause overcrowding and misalignment of the permanent teeth. A young horse's teeth may need to be floated every four to six months because the mouth changes so much during the first few years. Many people confuse the canine teeth with wolf teeth. Canine teeth are generally present in geldings and stallions, but occasionally mares will have them also. These teeth lie in the empty gap between the front teeth and the cheek teeth. Canine teeth serve no purpose. A horse could accidentally hang his tongue on the canine and rip it. These teeth should be cut down and rounded smooth.

Wolf teeth are very small and are located in front of the first molar (cheek) tooth. They are usually found only on the top set of teeth but do occasionally erupt in the lower set. They have short roots and can be removed fairly easily and painlessly. It is standard practice to remove these teeth, as there are times when pain will occur if the bit comes into contact with the wolf tooth. This should be done before a horse is asked to carry a bit in his mouth to insure thai negative behaviors are not learned in his attempts to evade pain.

Horses going into saddle training or halter training for breeds which require a bridle in the show ring should have their teeth examined BEFORE a bit is introduced. The horse should then be checked no less than every 6 months and possibly more frequently. Once a horse has shed all his baby teeth annual exams usually suffice until old age, at which time he may again need more frequent dental work to keep up with the changes in his mouth. Yearlings should not be ignored; they have been known to have points sharp enough to lacerate the tongue or cheek tissues.

Another note of interest to keep in mind is the use of bits. Most folks tend to think that snaffles can't hurt a horse. But Dr. Stubbs can show you some of the damages caused by snaffles, or more accurately, the hands that hold the reins. Snaffle bits, usually the first bit used on young horses, can irritate and cause bony growth on the lower jaw bones. "You get a lot of damage here from the snaffle bit. I get credit for telling people the snaffle bit is no good and that is absolutely not what I'm saying. The hands are the problem. But the snaffle bit has a crushing effect." Bone spurs can appear along the jaw line where the snaffle rubs or is pulls hard enough to pinch the jawbone.

As for the naysayers who don't believe that dental work for horses is important, Stubbs only replies, "The proof is in the results." Many common training problems that people struggle with may be directly related to dental problems. It is certainly one more aspect of care and maintenance that should be considered a minimum requirement in your equine health program. Dr. Stubbs believes it is paramount to good horse care to understand the wide variety of behaviora1 and performance responses that tooth problems can cause and is passionate in his efforts and willingness to educate other veterinarians and open minded horse owners.

If you would like to explore your horse's mouth to determine if he is in need of corrective work you can contact Dr. Clay Stubbs at the Stubbs Equine Dental Clinic, 2928 Flat Creek Road, Johnson City, TX 78636 or phone him at 1-830-868-7544 (fax 1-830-868-9368). You can e-mail him at .

The bottom line is simple. If you want your horse to best utilize all that expensive hay, grain, and supplements you toss into his feeder each day, perform better, prevent unnecessary pain and subsequent behavior problems, not to mention adding a good many productive years to his life, invest in quality preventative medicine. The cost of a good dental program will be recouped in lower feed bills, better fitness and performance, and overall lifespan of your horse.

Links to Dr. Stubbs pages on google.com are here.

Make life easy for your horse. Get rid of your horse's nut-cracker snaffle and use the Myler Comfort Snaffle.