Hi everyone.

I'm new-ish to horse ownership and currently have one AQHA golden Champagne named Royal. I will be getting a QH/draft this up coming week and was told that he will be needing his teeth floated.

My question is what is the average cost to get this done in the Washington state area? Or maybe just in general?

My other question is about grain...

I want to feed my horses something other then strategy but am not quite sure what to feed them. Especially Royal, he's only 4 and I feel needing to add some weight to him. The other is fine and wondering if its best to keep him off of any grain.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thank you,
Angela

Angela,

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 cheeks and tongue. These caps can also become retained, causing extreme pain, pulling these off will releave the pain. 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.

All of these things can cause a horse to stop chewing their food properly and start swallowing it more whole, by doing this they are not getting the nutrients out of their food like they should. I would get both of their teeth done and give them 30 days before I would go and change their food. You would be amazed at how much weight a horse will put on once its teeth have been done.

Strategy and hay is a good combonation, it is what I have my pregnant mare on with free choice grass hay. The stallion that I handle is also on strategy and bermuda hay and looks great. The nice thing about strategy is it is a high fiber feed. But once you get his teeth done and find that he is doing just fine on hay (& you don't want to feed grain) I would recommend looking into one of the 3 following products by Purina and see which one would work best for you:

Mare & Maintenance
Free Balance 12:12 supplement
Born to Win supplement

A good weight supplement is their Amplify it is a top dress to what you feed and is designed not to mess with the balance feed ratios (strategy and hay you are feeding). It is 30% fat which is higher than other feed sources. I have personal experience with this product and love the results I got on a friends barrel horse.

I would check with your vet and see if they use motorized tools to float teeth with. Motorized equipment is better all the way around. It takes less time and is easier on everyone invloved. It will cost more than hand floating but you will only need to do it every other year after the age of 5 years (yearly between 2 and 5 years) with the motorized. Where hand floats still have to be done yearly. Down here where I am it was about $250 per horse, that included the farm call, sedation, floating, and a good physical exam. The horse needs to be sedated for the safety of the horse and people, floating should always be done under sedation.

Hope this helps.

P8ntCrazy, you are a wealth of useful information!

Thanks,

You are sweet. I can't tell you how many dentals I have assisted in and how many horses mouths I have had my hand in over the years. I think it is the nicest thing an owner can do for their horse is keep up on their dental care. The old saying "no hoof no horse" is true but even more to that is "No mouth no horse". By keeping their mouth in good condition you avoid health (types of colic, etc.), behavorial and numerous other problems. I have a 30 year old that doesn't look it and (I still ride frequentlly)he gets his teeth checked yearly and done every other year (well all of mine are on that schedule), but by me keeping up on his teeth we found out that he had a bad tooth and got it taken care of.

I like to share all that I know and learn all that I can.

Thanks for that info. I didn't know that horses between the ages 2-5 needed it done yearly. I was just concerned with the horse I'll be getting soon. Thank you for the heads up!

So you feel that strategy is a good enough grain?

Thanks again for your help!

Wolf,

I have been using strategy since they first introduced it. I like the fact that it works for horses of any age and exercise group, especially since mine range in age from babies to 30. Also depending on what type of hay you feed(alfalfa/bermuda grass) they have formulated it so your horse gets all the correct vitamins and minerals to complete the hay.
I have been very happy with it, and all of Purina's products. I like how much research goes into the development of their feeds and the quality of the ingredients.

Glad that I could help.