An Evening With Equine Dentist Wayne Abbott - 1st February 2010

On Monday February 1st Mendip Bridleways and Byways Association were delighted to welcome Horse Dentist Wayne Abbott to their meeting at The Old Mendip Inn near Oakhill, to talk about his work.

Wayne arrived with an impressive horse skull. We examined the teeth in the skull and were amazed at the length of the roots in the gum. Wayne had rasped some of the teeth which were smooth compared to those he had not which were very sharp, imagine the discomfort the horse has to tolerate if their teeth are not regularly checked and allowed to become so sharp.

Wayne stressed the importance of all horses having their teeth checked regularly, even those that are not ridden, such as Brood Mares and youngsters. As Horses graze for about 18 hours a day they need to masticate in comfort.

Wayne recommends that wolf teeth are removed because they have a tendency to break and splinter when the youngster is bitted, splinters can be as sharp as glass and can remain in the gum causing abscesses, which cause great pain to the horse and great expense to the owner.

The group of 30 people were invited to ask questions and Wayne did an admirable job of answering them. The evening was most interesting and informative and gave us an insights to our horse’s mouths!

Cherry Lawson