Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
![]() John Tolley, DVM, lectures on equine dental care Along with his colleague, Laura Blanton, DVM, and their sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim, John Tolley, DVM presented the following text at the Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital Client Seminar held on March 15, 2012. Each year, BVH hosts a seminar to focus on an aspect of equine health care. This year’s topics were “Routine Dental Care is Essential to Your Horse’s Health” and "Care and Feeding of the Older Horse.” Part 1 Routine dental care is essential to your horse's in health. Periodic examinations and regular maintenance, such as floating, are especially necessary today for a number of reasons:
Horses evolved as grazing animals, and their teeth are perfectly adapted for that purpose. The forward teeth, known as incisors, function to shear off forage. The cheek teeth, including the molars and premolars with their wide, flat, graveled surfaces, easily grind the feed to a mash before it is swallowed. Like humans, horses get two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The baby teeth, also called deciduous teeth, are temporary. The first deciduous incisors may erupt before the foal is born. The last baby teeth come in when the horse is about 8 months of age. These teeth begin to be replaced by adult teeth around age 2 1/2. By age 5, most horses have their full complement of permanent teeth. An adult male horse has 40 permanent teeth. A mare may have between 36-40, because mares are less likely to have canine (bridle) teeth. The following chart shows the approximate ages at which different teeth erupt. By referring to it, you may detect potential abnormalities of your own horse associated with teething. For more information, refer to the Official Guide for Determining the Age of the Horse, published by the AAEP. ![]() Internet Drawing of the Horse's Skull Deciduous (Baby Teeth) 1st incisors (centrals) - Birth or 1st week 2nd incisors (intermediates) - 4-6 weeks 3rd incisors (corners) - 6-9 months 1st, 2nd, & 3rd premolars (cheek teeth) - Birth or first 2 weeks for all premolars Permanent (Adult Teeth) 1st incisors (centrals) - 2 1/2 years 2nd incisors (intermediates) - 3 1/2 years 3rd incisors (corners) - 4 1/2 years Canines (bridle) - 4-5 years Wolf teeth (1st premolars) - 5-6 months 2nd premolars (1st cheek teeth) - 2 1/2 years 3rd premolars (2nd cheek teeth) - 3 years 4th premolars (3rd cheek teeth) - 4 years 1st molars (4th cheek teeth) - 9-12 months 2nd molars (5th cheek teeth) - 2 years 3rd molars (6th cheek teeth) - 3 1/2 - 4 years WOLF TEETH Wolf teeth are very small teeth located in front of the second premolar. They rarely appear in the lower jaw. A horse may have one to four, or no wolf teeth. While not all wolf teeth are troublesome, veterinarians routinely remove them to prevent pain or interference with a bit. Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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