Equine Dentistry Without Drama™ 1. Horsemanship is better than drugs and force 2. Proper and judicious use of pain medication is indicated in about 1 of every 10 horses, not in every horse. 3. The use of hand tools and the hand as a mouth speculum is effective in addressing every edge of every tooth. 4. Every edge of every tooth must be made smooth to achieve comfort for the horse. 5. Horses between 2 ½ and 5 years of age should be floated every 3 to 6 months depending on their training schedules. The teeth are softer and become sharp more quickly plus 24 baby “caps” are shed during this time and are replaced by sharp permanent teeth. 6. Floating should be done every 6 months in horses between 5 and 25 years of age to be preventive in bit issues. On occasion some horses need it more often. Some, due to limited use or if they are over 25 years old only need an annual float. Every horse is different due to their own personal threshold of pain. PREVENTION is key.