Wolf Teeth

[MandyinIndia]

Hello

I wondered if any of you would like to share your expertise of wolf teeth with me.

As you can see from my user name I am currently living in India and the horse I lease still has wolf teeth despite being 10 years old.
We mainly do dressage and he can come on the bit fairly nicely but we do have some issues with this which we have put down to his previous life as a polo pony. He does have a tendancy not to take the contact, prefering to duck behind the bit or to invert. He is much improved over the past year or so since I have had him and makes huge steps forward as my riding also improves. (Have regular clinics with a UK based classical riding instructor who is fab) But could the wolf teeth be having an effect also.

Is it worth putting him through the trauma of the extraction (is it traumatic?) or should I just keep improving my riding (much easier

Any experience with wolf teeth extraction or otherwise would be much appreciated so I can take the right decision.

Oh and by the way I have little confidence in the vets out here doing a great job!

Thanks

Mandy

 

[coedcae]

My mare has just had hers out but she's 4. I have only just started her and I noticed she had a problem when I started to ask for more of a contact. She was very unhappy in her mouth and would carry her head sidewards.
We have an excellent equine dentist and he removed them for me, with a little tool, required no sedation and took seconds. My mare didnt even flinch

Some wolf teeth can be more problematic to remove but I'd say, from what you describe, that your horse probably doesnt need them removed.

 

[Imonone]

My mare also had hers removed aged 4. From what I understand the older they get the more problematical the extraction can be, so unless it causing real problems and given where you are perhaps they would be best left??

 

[TGM]

My mare had her wolf teeth removed a couple of years ago and she definitely accepted the bit more happily afterwards. Whether it is traumatic depends on the wolf teeth - some come out more easily than others. My girl's were quite tough to extract and she did look very sorry for herself immediately afterwards but was soon back to her normal self!

 

[murphyboywoody]

My boy had his out as a four year old too! My dentist did it and it all went smoothly and after a few days off he was back being ridden. Hope that helps!!

 

[kerilli]

it depends how big they are, i've had them taken off 6 and 7 year olds, when the wolf teeth were about the size of the top part of a biro (the pointy bit!). my very good equine dentist has a little metal hollow punch that he appears to just fit over them, and then shoves in and sort-of fractures/shears them off, obviously one at a time. sounds barbaric, but it gets rid of them completely. he checks carefully with his fingers for shards, then swills the holes out with saline, and told me to put salt in them for a day or two. no bit for a week or two (hackamore only) and then they were absolutely fine.
that's how i remember it, anyway... he's coming to do a few more in a couple of weeks, so i can get more info then if you want to PM me.