Dental Work - Horse-Style ... or ... Bruno's Dental Appointment

Bruno, the sweet, waiting for an early breakfast.

Mario is feeling the molars, to see what needs to be done.  Bruno, at this point, has been tranquillized, to make the appointment easier for all. 

This contraption looks like some medieval torture device, but essentially it is just  a piece of equipment to keep the horse's head steady, and mouth open and accessible.

Here's Mario, with his head-gear on, and the rasping tool in Bruno's mouth. The tool looks very much like a Dremel tool with a long handle. 

Mario is really getting into the job!

A close-up of the vet, working on the upper right molars.

The diagram on the upper right illustrates the horse skull, showing the dentition.   In each quadrant, a horse has three incisors, sometimes a canine or "tush" [depending on sex and breed] and six molars. They do a lot of grinding-type chewing on grass, so they need all those molars. It's the molars which do almost all the work, and need the dental attention. They tend to wear unevenly, and, as a result, develop sharp points and rough edges which would hurt the horse, if left untended. Leaving points on the teeth also results in the horse being unable to digest its food properly. So, depending on the horse, they need their teeth filed every six to twelve months. This allows them to eat happily, and comfortably carry a bit. Because Bruno appears to have had his jaw broken at least once in the past, resulting in some malocclusion, his teeth wear unevenly more quickly and need attention every six months. I've only had Bruno in my life for about four years, so I don't know all his history, but the vet and I can tell a bit by the wear and tear on is body - sad but true. But Mario and I were both happy to see that his teeth seem to be better than they have been in the past, probably because he is getting regular dental attention ... and TLC! :)

As always, your comments and questions are welcome! 

Back to Work ...

I left this in disgust a few days ago, and worked on portraits instead.

I took it out again this morning after riding. Those are my paddock boot tips in the photo.

I've darkened the mountains , and am carefully darkening the abutment and girders. It doesn't look too bad when I put a mat around it.

Here's the back of my vet's head. It was the best I could do with one hand, as I was assisting.

It's not something I really like to see - a horse drugged to the point of almost falling over, with his head in a sling fastened to the ceiling, but that's dental care in horse land. Most horses get their teeth done every year or two. Bruno needs his done every six months. He has quite a malocclusion, probably as a result of a broken jaw when very young. He might have been stepped on or rolled on by his mom, or kicked when playing with the other young horses - it happens. Because of this, his teeth wear very unevenly, and he gradually get sharp points and edges on them, which can cut the tongue and cheeks. So today was the day.  

He had them done almost an hour ago, so he's probably just coming out of the sedation now. Then he can have his dinner. If they are allowed to eat while sedated, they can choke. There's your bit of horsey education for today.


As always, your comments are most welcome.