Why Horses Lose Teeth, And What To Feed When They Do

A horse tooth erupts continuously for most of its life and then simply runs out. By the late twenties there is often very little crown left below the gum, and chewing becomes mechanically impossible.

The first sign is usually quidding

Quidding is when a horse balls hay in its cheek, chews without swallowing, and drops the wad on the floor. Those little cigars of half chewed hay under the manger are the clearest early warning you will get.

Other signs

• Dropping weight on an unchanged ration
• Long fibre appearing whole in the droppings
• Head tilting while eating
• Reluctance to take the bit

If a horse over eighteen starts losing weight, check the mouth before you change the feed.

What to feed once chewing fails

The goal is unchanged: get enough fibre into the hindgut. Only the form changes.

1. Softer hay first. Move from coarse Timothy to Meadow or Orchard, both of which are cut earlier and stay soft.
2. Short chop next. Chopped dust extracted straw and chopped hay reduce the chewing required.
3. Soaked fibre last. Where teeth are effectively gone, soaked hay replacers and beet supply fibre without any chewing at all.

Do not forget water

Older horses drink less and are far more prone to impaction. Soaking feed is the easiest way to sneak several extra litres a day into a senior horse without a fight.