You can detect many common dental problems by observing your horse. Some behavioral problems that look like "quirks" may actually be due to a dental problem!


Does your horse put as much feed into his mouth as possible?  Then drop most of it on the ground as he chews?
Horses whose molars do not function normally will not eat properly and sometimes drop a lot of their feed.

Does your horse spit out balls of hay?
 Horses whose teeth are sharp or who have sore cheeks, gums, or teeth will attempt to chew hay and feed but often spit it back out in balls (quids).

Does your horse's water bucket look slimey? Have you observed him dunking his hay into the water while he chews them?
 Horses with dental problems will often soak hay to soften it before attempting to chew or swallow.

How does your horse's breath smell?
A rotten smell is a sign of trouble. Horses get broken teeth and gum disease, which cause bad breath, just like people!

Does your horse's head look the same on both left and right sides? Do the jaw muscles appear to be of the same size on both sides? Does he tip, shake, or toss his head when bitted?
 Uneven development of bones or muscles often means uneven wear on the teeth inside the mouth.

Do you own a young horse?
 From birth to 5 years old, your horse is going to erupt about 40 permanent teeth and shed 24 baby teeth or "caps." You can greatly increase your horse's comfort and promote future good dental health by having the equine dentist pull adhering "caps" at the right time.

Do you own an older horse?
Barring injury, horses' teeth come to the end of their lives beginning about age 20. Loose, expired teeth are often painful to the horse and may cause him to eat very slowly or to fail to grind food thoroughly, and thus to drop weight and condition.

Dental problems can cause pain and discomfort to horses, which horses can exhibit in a number of ways.

  • Head shaking while riding
  • Lack of condition, when good management programs are in place 
  • Longer than normal particles in the faeces 
  • Bleeding from the mouth 
  • Bad Breath  
  • Inability to shift lower jaw from side to side 
  • Teeth are sensitive to the touch when palpating from the outer cheek area 
  • Quidding 
  • Eating slower than usual
  • Hard to bridle
  • Change in performance from normal 
  • Poor performance 
  • Dribbling of feed 
  • Weight loss 
  • Excessive salivation or drooling
  • Irregular movement of mandible 
  • Bumps or enlargements of the jaw or face 
  • Fistulous discharge from the jaw or face 
  • Discharge from the eye or nose 
  • Sores on the lips, gums and palate 
  • Abnormal carriage of the tongue 
  • Punctures and lacerations of the tongue and cheeks 
  • Bad general attitude 
  • Rearing 
  • Choking