Dental disease in horses causes significant pain that impairs feeding, performance, and quality of life, making regular dental care a welfare priority.
Horse dental welfare is affected by the gradual development of sharp points, hooks, and waves on cheek teeth that cause soft tissue lacerations during chewing. These injuries create chronic low-grade pain that affects eating efficiency, leading to weight loss, quidding of feed, and reluctance to accept the bit. Because horses are stoic animals and owners often attribute feed rejection or weight loss to other causes, dental pain is frequently underdiagnosed. Annual dental examinations by a qualified equine dental vet or equine vet, with maintenance rasping under appropriate sedation, are the evidence-based standard for dental welfare maintenance.