- Breeding
- A Brief History of Horse Breeding
- Should You Go Into Horse Breeding?
- Horse Breeding: Covering a Mare
- Buying a Horse
- How to Buy a Horse
- Equine Experts Send Us Your Best Tip - Win $750 Worth of KAM’s Healthy Horse Products and More
- Top 3 Ways Using Horse Classifieds Can Save You Money
- General Horse Articles
- Using Artificial Aids
- Feeding and Management of Horses During the Transition from Warm to Cool Weather
- Top 5 Strange and Unusual Horses
- Horse Feeding
- What do do when the Panic is On to keep our Horses Safe!
- What Makes Good Hay
- When Dealing With Horses Get It in Writing - Sign Up for May 16 FREE Webinar
- Horse Grooming
- Mane Saving Ideas
- Keeping Your Horse Beautiful with Horse Products
- eZall Shine & Detangler Transforms Ratty Manes and Tails Into Flowing Tresses
- Horse Health Issues
- Horse Dental Problems and Prevention
- Horse Breeding: Covering a Mare
- A Look at Horse Feed
- Horse Training
- Two-track to Slow Your Horse's Gaits
- Training Brasilia
- Training Mythunderstandings: Little Things Do Mean a Lot
- Horses & History
- The Missing Equine Link: How the Modern Horse Came to Be
- The History of Horse Breeding
- The Feral Horse and Its Impact
- Horses & Sports
- What do do when the Panic is On to keep our Horses Safe!
- When Dealing With Horses Get It in Writing - Sign Up for May 16 FREE Webinar
- Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship - What Does It Mean To Disengage My Horse?
Understanding Horse Teeth
05/26/2008
A horse’s teeth are perfectly suited for grazing. In adult horses, 12 front teeth bite grass and other vegetation. Twenty-four back teeth are then responsible for chewing. Additional teeth may be present, depending on the type of horse.
A horse’s teeth are perfectly suited for grazing. In adult horses, 12 front teeth bite grass and other vegetation. Twenty-four back teeth are then responsible for chewing. Additional teeth may be present, depending on the type of horse.
Horse teeth continually erupt throughout the course of a horse’s life. The constant grinding up of hay and other feeds wear down a horse’s teeth, so this continuous eruption ensures proper chewing ability. As the horse reaches old age, the tooth below the gum is very short, and many times teeth are lost. In cases like these, feed may need to be ground up and soaked in water, creating a mushy pulp that is easier to consume.
While the wear patterns on a horse’s teeth are different for each individual horse, it is generally understood that you can use a horse’s teeth to determine the age of the horse. After 5-8 years, this can only be speculated. Wear patterns on the teeth can be affected by diet and abnormalities, as well as cribbing, which is a bad biting habit that many horses can develop. Cribbing involves biting down on wood fences and other objects, and sucking in air. Doing so often can directly affect the shape of a horse’s teeth.
Popular belief suggests that a horse holds the bit of its bridle in its teeth. However, the bit actually lies in the interdental space. This area, located between the cheek teeth and the incisors on most horses, provides a place for the bit to rest without the horse needing to open up its jaws. If a bit is improperly seated in the mouth, it can push against the teeth, causing discomfort to the horse.
Some veterinarians believe in creating a “bit seat.” A bit seat is created in the first cheek tooth. This is attained by rounding the surface of the tooth so that the flesh of the cheek does not push against the sharp edge of the tooth when the bit is pulled. Some dispute this practice as harmful, however many veterinarians agree with the practice, believing it to lessen the discomfort experienced by the horse.
