From: kcumming@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (kcumming)
Subject: head tossing - teeth problems
Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 13:48:29 GMT

While following this thread on bitting, it seems that several folks have
brought up head tossing or similar problems.  In one of Tracy's latest
posts she mentioned something which i think warrants more attention.

I have found that head tossing and other seemingly bit-related
resistance problems are not related to the bit at all - but rather are
due to a horse with a very sore mouth from teeth problems.  Now before
everyone thinks - oh, my vet just floated my horse a short timea ge. . .
etc.  Let me say that most vets are *REALLY LOUSY* at floating teeth.
If whoever floated your horses teeth did not use a speculum to keep the
mough wide open and a variety of float handles and files to get the
various different areas and teeth and then didn't listen as they ground
the jaw back and forth while closed at the end to listen for rough
spots, and so forth - then chances are that the floating your horse got
did him absolutely no good at all.  You wouldn't believe the different
problems a horse can have in his mouth - and  a good equine *dentist* is
a must.

Most recently, a horse we had found for one of my students last summer
had this annoying habit of suddenly, with no warning and for no apparent
reason, hollowing his back, throwing his weight to his rear and jerking
his head streight in the air, after which he'd continue on the rail as
quietly as he'd been going.  Of course we hadn't seen this behavior or
been told of it when we bought the horse.  We came to find out (this is
a national caliber youth horse) that the trainer he had been with
previously wouldn't actually take the horse in the ring himself because
you never knew when he would do this head jerk, and of course at big
show with stiff competition, this can make one look pretty bad.  The
owner (a very nice woman) said that she had had him floated on a regular
basis by her vet and that the horse had been doing this since he was 3
or 4 (he's 9 now) and they'd never been able to figure it out.  Well we
had him floated by a dentist about a month after we got him home.  The
dentist didn't think his teeth looked like they'd ever been done.  His
first bottom mollars on either side were really bad and he had a bit of
a wave mouth.  We worked on him for over 45 minutes and got him
consdierable better, but decided to leave him at that for the moment and
schedule him for a nother appointment in a few months.  (We never did
get way back in his mouth that time.)  He did go better, but the head
flipping was still there - plus i noticed that on occasion when he was
being bridled, whne you got up around his temples he's pin his ears and
pull his head away, as if he was sore.)  We had another dentist check
him a few months later as he was doing free exams at a show we were at.
This time we had him try and get way back.  It turns out that since this
horse is slightly parrot mouthed, and the teeth are slightly out of
alignment that the very back teeth in the lower jaw have nothing coming
down from the upper jaw to keep them from growing.  (horses teeth will
continue to grow if there isn't another set of teeth meeting them.)  His
lower back teeth were growing up and digging into his gums behind the
teeth in the upper jaw (thus the sore temple area).  This dentist had
teeth cutters which lie flat along the teeth and cut those sticking up
to far off even with the rest.  No lie he cut a half to 3/4 of an inch
off of each of the last tooth on either side.  I couldn't believe it!!!!

What's even more amazing is that this was back in May and this horse has
*not* flipped his head even once since those teeth were cut.  All those
years and it wasn't a training problem, or an attitude problem, or a bit
problem. . . his MOUTH HURT!

I urge anyone having consistent 'bit' problems, head tossing,
resistance, etc. to have your horse checked by a reputable equine
dentist.  They're ussually not very expensive (certainly cheaper than my
vet.) and it may be some of the best $$$$ you spend on your horse.

Sorry this got sooooooooooo long.

Kitty Cummings
Kit-Mar Appaloosas
Ritter Hof German Shepherds