# Do horses of age five and younger need their teeth floated?



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

8-|

Uhhhhhhhh as soon as you want to put a bit in a horse's face, or even just ride it, it should have its teeth at least looked at. When they are going through so many changes in their mouths as 3, 4 and 5 year olds it is important to have their teeth looked at about twice a year!!
I would ditch your so called "vet" and find one that can/will actually do work on your horse.

Good luck!


----------



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

My vet said the same thing when I asked about my yearling. He said to have her looked at when I get my other horse's teeth done, and that usually they don't have to do any work until about 5, sometimes 2 if the caps don't come off like they're supposed to or something like that.

Just have him come and look, or bring your horse to him if you can because it's cheaper. If he sees that she looks like she needs her teeth done, he'll do it. I don't see any reason to find a new vet at this point.


----------



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Brianna6432 said:


> _So_ many people have told me that younger horses ( six and under ) need their teeth floated sooner then older horses. I just recieved my horse in October of 09 and I don't know when her teeth were last done. She's five years old. I called the vet ( my new vet ) and asked for a price estimate of how much he charges to float my horses teeth, though, of course, I added more detail.
> In summary he made me feel like a complete idiot. He was saying that a horse who's around five years and younger don't need their teeth floated because that's the age where they lose their baby teeth and get their 'adult teeth'.
> So...
> Around what age do horses need their teeth floated for the first time?


I did at 2.5 one, 3 other one. They never were floated before. I also had to pull one wolf tooth on Jemma, and 2 teeth on Kiara.


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

My Equine dentist not my regular vet recommends doing them at 2 if they are having a bit in there mouth. When I had them done at 2 they also pulled 6 loose and impacted teeth. Made a big difference in my horses attitude.


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

If anything they should be checked more often when they are under 5. I'm sure that plenty of horses don't have problems, but if you have a retained cap it can cause a lifelong malocclusion. The time period between birth and 5 years old is when the greatest changes occur in the horses mouth. I don't understand why someone would think that horses need no dental care in that time period. Speak to any equine dentist (or a vet that specializes) or a university and they will more than likely tell you that horses under 5 should get their teeth check and floated if necessary 2x yearly. 

Check this article from the AAEP (American Association for Equine Practioners) and mail it to your vet.

The Importance of Maintaining the Health of Your Horse's Mouth - AAEP


----------



## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

I would ditch that vet as well. you shouldnt even be riding this horse till you know its teeth arent uneven. My dentist tells me not to worry about my baby until hes ready to be bitted, but once a horse is ridden he actually suggest younger horses be done more (because of loosing teeth and they might be growing at a faster rate) he also suggests older horses teeth be done more, so they arent dropping food and thus loosing weight.


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

I've most definitely have had to have horses under 5 get a float. I've seen a 3.5-4 year old lose weight due to sharp points on his teeth.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Definitely they should be looked at in their younger years. When I first got my OTTB as a 4 year old, he was severly parrot mouthed. My dentist found the reason. Some of his baby teeth never properly fell out and and they had subsequently grown into 2" horizontal daggers in his gum line. I felt so bad for him when I saw the teeth. The dentist was able to free up enough room for his adult teeth to spread out so that he is not as severly parrot mouthed, but he said he probably wouldn't be parrot mouthed at all if his teeth had been properly cared for when he was younger.


----------

