Les came out this week and trimmed Sticks, Seven, and Rowdy, as well as floating Sugar's teeth and filing her canine teeth down. Canines are small teeth on the bottom jaw that sit in the general area where the bit lies. When bits bang these teeth or bump them, it can be very painful, and can create many behavioral issues as well as making your horse uncomfortable. Wolf teeth are teeth on the top row, and they can pose similar problems, but they are structured a bit differently so the method of fixing the problem is a little different. The molars in the back of a horse's mouth can wear unevenly creating ridges and sharp edges. These can cause horses to loose a lot of feed as they eat, not grind up roughage enough to digest it properly, and cut their tongues and cheeks. Good dental care is as important as hoof care.
Sticks, Lil, and Rowdy are riding in the arena, working patterns, stops, backups, and turns. Billy worked in the arena Tuesday without a leader for the first time and was a bit sticky but till progressing right along. Ashley rode Sugar and the general consensus seems to be that the saddle pinches the chubby gal when you mount from the ground. Ashley has been using a chair to mount her until we get her into better shape, and says she is doing great.
Y'all keep a lookout, when we get everything ready to go at the new place we hope to have an open house of sorts. There's still a bit of cleanup to be done since the horse pens and arena had not been used in some time, but as we get closer to a date, I will let you know. Have a great and SAFE Labor Day weekend!