Jul 10 2010
Teeth The Cause Of Many Horse Health Problems Part One
While many horse owners have become aware of the importance of equine dental care through media attention and increasing veterinary education, the majority might not have a working understanding of the horse’s components needed to chew stemmed roughage But if an educated horse owner needs to make informed decisions concerning health care for their equine companion, he or she needs to understand the basics of equine dentition and how the teeth affect overall health–after all, correct mastication is the first step in the long process of digestion. Armed with this fundamental knowledge of dentition, the owner will be in a position to ask the appropriate questions of their health care provider
A normal mature horse (at least 6 years old) should have between 36 and 42 teeth, depending on gender and presence or absence of wolf teeth. The incisors, the teeth you see immediately inside the horse’s lips, are useful for nipping grass and for defense and grooming, but they have an even more important function in the biomechanics of mastication. Their health, wear patterns, and physical length can determine how effectively the grinding teeth, farther back in the mouth, can perform their job.
Most males have four canine teeth immediately behind the incisors and in front of where a bit sits in the open area of gums. These areas are referred to as the “bars” in Horseman’s language . These teeth are used by stallions in the wild as weapons. They can be quite long and sharp. In the domestic horse it is prudent to smooth any sharp edges to prevent oral injury, particularly from tack pinching sensitive tissue against these sharp teeth.
Occasionally mares have canines, but they are typically much smaller and only on the bottom jaw.
The “wolf teeth” are small teeth that can be, but not always, present just in front of the first large grinding teeth in both sexes. They usually come in at an early age, usually by the time a horse is a year old. A typical horse has two, but one or none isn’t uncommon and horses with four wolf teeth are prevalent.
These small, sharp teeth serve no useful purpose for the horse and can cause discomfort when tack is introduced. Most veterinarians recommend removing them before the horse is introduced to a bit or any headgear. The canines and wolf teeth account for the normal variability in teeth number between individuals.
Continuing our tour toward the rear of the mouth, the next teeth we encounter are the premolars. These teeth, together with the molars just behind them, comprise the roughage grinding apparatus of the horse. These teeth are the workers in the horse’s mouth. Together, the premolars and molars (cheek teeth) total 24 teeth arranged in four arcades of six teeth; two rows on the top and two on the bottom. These teeth are large plus uniquely designed to perform their task of grinding stemmed roughage into a consistent bolus (a chewed mass of food) suitable for swallowing. they have got special corrugated surfaces so as to make their grinding function more effective. Teeth are designed to last the lifetime of the horse, and they will if they wear optimally. On the other hand, disease or abnormal wear patterns can develop, causing pain or shortening the functional life of these teeth.
In addition to the hard tissue structures with the horse’s mouth, soft tissue components play an equally significant role in correct mastication. The horse’s prehensile lips allow him to pick up very small or fine items with great precision and dexterity and move the items into the oral cavity for processing. The lips are incredibly sensitive and can discriminate with mind- boggling accuracy. Any owner who has tried to medicate their horse through feed knows this. How does that animal manage to sift through the medication and take only the feed?! Blame the prehensile lips.
Referneces
