Dental pain in horses is extremely common, chronically underdiagnosed, and causes significant welfare harm through pain during eating, behavioral problems, and secondary nutritional consequences.
Equine dental pain represents one of the most common and most underrecognized sources of chronic suffering in domestic horses. Because horses evolved to be stoic and rarely show obvious pain responses, dental disease progresses substantially before owners notice signs. A horse dropping hay, resisting the bit, or losing weight may be experiencing weeks or months of oral pain that regular dental examination would have detected and addressed. The relatively low cost and short time of an annual dental examination makes it one of the highest welfare-per-dollar investments available to horse owners, preventing significant chronic pain for millions of horses.