I've heard no question is a stupid one, so here goes.....my son has a 4-yr old pony. She is calm and has a good disposition but is constantly agitated with her bit. We use a snaffle bit, as were told when we got her that was what she was used to. As long as the bit is in her mouth, she is constantly gnawing and working her tongue and "fighting" the bit. She never stands quietly when the bit is in her mouth. It seems to sit in the right place, not too tightly against the corners of her mouth, but also not hanging too low. Would it be wrong to put the bit and bridle on her and just let her stand tied? Any suggestions as to what to do?

I'm not an expert but from what I've been reading it could mean that she needs to have her teeth floated.

yeah, I had thought about that....have only had her since middle of Dec. will check with previous owners and see when she had that done last...also have been reading up on bitless bridles at bitlessbridles.com and they sound too good to be true...anyone have any experience with these?

Horses starting at age 2 and until they are 5 years old need their teeth done yearly. During this time period they are shedding caps (baby teeth), when these caps come off they leave razor sharp points that will cut into the cheaks and tongue. These caps can also become retained, causing extreme pain, pulling these off will releave the pain. The slightest pressure from even the headstall running down the horses cheek with cause discomfort. The other thing that I would make sure was done is that his wolf teeth have been pulled. This is a very small premolar located in front of the upper cheek teeth, tissue hangs down and the bit will bang against that tissue and cause pain. Also at this age they are getting their getting in their K9 teeth they can have 4 of these coming in also.

So all in all I would get your vet out and have his teeth done it is the best place to start and will give him immediate relief. They will sedate him and it normally only takes about 40 minutes for the whole procedure (with motorized stuff) and he wont remember a thing. After the age of 5 years you can go to every other year on floatings as long as motorized floats are used, If the vet still uses hand floats it will still have to be done yearly.

Hope this helps, and let us know how it turns out.

I have never heard about having teeth floated yearly for young horses. It was very interesting. I have a 15 yr old gelding and his teeth have never been done and doesn't seem to have any problems.

Does the pony have any problems eating? That is usually a good sign also.

Equine dentistry is becoming better understood in the past 5 years. I would almost bet money that your 15 year old needs its teeth done. They don't always drop grain. Also over time if their teeth aren't done they can develope some pretty nasty sores and callesus in their mouths. Also as a horse gets into its later years their tooth eruption slows done and they may need their teeth done less. But in general a horse under 5 years should have their teeth checked every 6 months and floated yearly. After the age of 5 years checked yearly and done every other year. Some need it more or less depending on their mouth (deformities) conformation, their diet, etc. Also by keeping up on their dentals you can avoid a number of behavioral problems. I to in the begining was told that only older horses needed their teeth done, but I know better now and would never send a youngster off for training (2years) without have a dental done first. If you ever get the chance to look in the mouth of a young horse before a float and have the oppurtunity to feel in there it is amazing how sharp their teeth can be. I have cut my finger a time or two on a young horses sharp mouth.

Hope this helps.

p8nt is correct. ALL horses should have their mouths at the very least checked annually by a vet.

Thanks for the info. I will have to have them checked. The bad deal is right now we don't have a equine vet in our county that's not going to rip you off. One of those horse things, just because it has horse attached they jack the price up. The 2 we had here are both older and have decided to give up large animals. The closest one is 80 miles away.

Maybe the snaffle bit is not the best bit for her - it is worth experimenting with different bits - she is very young maybe a Nethe would be a more comfortable bit for her. Many horses find the snaffle an uncomfortable bit.

Shirley

She could also have a low pallate, so the bit then irritates it.
A broken snaffle would be the answer in that case as it is very soft, still has the snaffle effect and doesn't get to the pallate.
Had a case like that he used to through his head all the time and play with his tongue, all of which he stopped immediately once we put him in a aurigan broken snaffle. Worth giving that a shot.