Pre-Purchase Dental Exams
All to often, horse owners end up purchasing a horse with out a pre-purchase dental exam.
One may ask, why are pre-purchase dental exams so important? Pre-purchase dental exams performed by a qualified equine dental practitoners is so important because having an exam done, will catch dental problems that may make a horse unsafe to ride, are causing health problems, performance problems, attitude changes, nutritional deficiencies, etc.
Most people who sell horses, try to be as honest as possible and make the potential new owner aware of problems that they may be experiencing. However, there are many people who sell horses knowing that the horse is a danger to ride, is having performance problems, health problems, etc., but never say anything about it to the potential new owner of which, could possibly put the person in a dangerous situation.
The most common complaints I hear from horse owners that have just purchased a new horse are:
1. I purchased a horse that was advertised as being a very broke, anybody can ride, with extensive training, great ground manners, with no vices, type of horse. I rode this horse 3 times at the previous owner's place and everything went well. Now and within a couple of days, the horse is bucking, not wanting to take the bit, is rearing, etc.
2. I purchased this horse a couple of weeks ago that was only pasture fed with access to 24/7 grazing. The horse had no visible signs of weight loss or malnutrition. Now, the horse is fed twice a day with very little pasture grazing and within a few weeks, has lost a considerable amount of weight despite a very good appetite.
3. I purchased a horse for my child that was advertised as a begining child's horse that seemed to be very laid back without a care in the world. Now, since I have had dentistry work performed, I have a very different horse. This horse has gone from docile and laid back to being a horse that is way to much for my child.
4. I purchased a horse that was advertised as being 10 years of age, no papers, but was very well mannered, no health problems, was very broke, was used as a trail/mountain horse and was suitable for a novice rider. The first time I took this horse out on a trail ride, it acted as if it had never seen a trail before in it's life. It was spooky and very unsure. My neighbor who has raised and shown horses for years, looked at it's front teeth and informed me that the horse was about 5 years of age and probably only green broke.
5. I purchased a reining horse who's previous owner the day of the purchase, said that they just had dental work done within the last month. However, this horse is not wanting to round up at the poll, is having lead difficulties, is biting on the bit, etc.
All the above complaints can be and usually are directly related to dental abnormalities causing pain in the mouth and is where the pre-purchase dental exam plays a very important role in the purchase of a new horse.
The pre-purchase dental exam can save a potential new horse owner the heartache and headache of possibly purchasing a horse that is not right for them because of (1) the horse is a danger to ride, is having performance and or attitude issues because the horse is suffering from dental abnormalties causing pain in the mouth, (2) the horse requires a different type of diet and feeding regimen to maintain proper weight due to having no teeth to very little teeth, (3) the horse is younger or older than the person is looking for, (4) the horse could possibly have major health issues due to systemic infection in the blood stream caused by severe periodontal disease, (5) the horse could possibly turn out to be more than the person can handle once the horse does have proper dentistry work performed.