When I began riding I often blamed a lot of what went wrong on the horse I was riding.
He’s being difficult…
She spooked…
He won’t listen to me…
She won’t get his head down…
He won’t go…
She won’t stop…
He won’t stay on the wall…
She won’t slow down…
He’s not doing what I’m asking…
This week is National Poison Prevention week.
With horses it seems there are MANY topics I could talk about on this subject alone. Fruits, vegetables, medications, plants. Unfortunately horses can be quite delicate compared to other livestock. We sometimes joke about these lovable creatures but it is extremely scary when a horse gets into something he shouldn’t…it’s scary to think about, too. Continue reading
February is Pet Dental Awareness month and we began with a brief overview on what’s inside the horse’s mouth.
If you missed it you can go back to Will Delta Dental Cover My Horse?
…So now you know about the incisors, the molars and the other bonus teeth some horses might grow.
You also now know that horse teeth are continually growing. Most domestic horses have imbalances and this causes uneven chewing and wear. Uneven chewing leads to hooks and cut-up cheeks.
It’s for this reason that we have the floating procedure. This is a highly undervalued aspect to horse-care that many horse owners both green and experienced often fail to understand or address. Today I want to go over the basics of a routine exam so let’s cover the 5 Ws….who, what, where, when, and why.
The thought of going to the dentist fills me with dread and anxiety.
Since I was a kid dentists have poked, prodded, and made me bleed. I was cursed with soft teeth.
Seriously.
I broke a tooth biting into a store bought Macintosh apple once.
I brush my teeth twice a day, floss when needed, use mouthwash. I avoid sugary drinks. Yet ever since I can remember a trip to the dentist means drillings and fillings.
It’s not the drill, no.
It’s not the filling, no.
It’s the scraping and stabbing with pointy metal mini-jousts, the bright lights in my face, water and junk building up in my mouth with the inability to swallow, the jaw pain, the blood, and MOST CERTAINLY the Novocain shot.
I LOVE NOVOCAIN, but the shot is the worst part. No needle should be in the mouth EVER. On top of it the dentist rarely shoots me with enough so he has to poke me again when I start flinching.
If you want to torture me…dentistry is the way to go.
Today I just lost a filling on a bite of Quaker Oatmeal Squares.
SERIOUSLY?!
Cereal.
Now I’m heading to the dentist to get in repaired…and to get needles poking around where they don’t belong.
But enough about me, this comes perfectly at the time for Pet Dental Awareness Month, which begins today!
Fitting, right?
Remember Equine 101 last month? We’re still going despite laptop hiatus, rough winter, holidays, and moving.
Although it’s been a little bit of time I want to get back into it….Refresh your memory! You had some holiday time off from me so you can visit Equine 101: Anatomy Part 2: The Skeletal System to review before taking the quiz.
…and if you don’t do well you can always do it again!
