1. Horses'
teeth erupt throughout their lives.
2. The upper jaw is 30% wider than the lower
jaw which creates sharp points on the cheek surface of the
upper teeth and on the tongue
surface of the
lower teeth.
3. These points can cause discomfort, pain, even lacerations in the
mouth and can hinder performance in the working horse as well as the
pleasure or pastured horse.
4. Because their diet is mainly roughage, horses need teeth of even
height.
5. Roughage digestion occurs by microbial fermentation
in the cecum. Particles that are too large will pass through undigested
and the nutrients
are not utilized.
6. Inadequately
chewed roughage increases the risk of intestinal obstruction (colic!).
7. Incisors do not wear at the same rate as the
molars due to the nonabrasive nature of the diet of the domestic
horse. These long incisors can create
gaps in the chewing surface of the molars.
8. Early or late tooth eruption creates an uneven chewing surface. This
becomes more exaggerated with time.
9. Tall, sharp canine teeth can pinch or cut the tongue (primarily a
problem of geldings and stallions).
10. Horses chew in a figure 8 type of pattern which requires an angle
of about 15 degrees on the molar surface to chew efficiently.
