Proper dental care is essential for the overall health of your horse. Troublesome teeth not only affect a horse's comfort while chewing its food, but also commonly prompt disobedience when the animal is being ridden. And if a horse is getting lots of feed but is having trouble maintaining its weight, there’s a good chance its teeth may be the root cause of the problem.

Hooks and points on the teeth can sometimes cut the soft tissue in the mouth, making it painful to chew, and this can even lead to lameness. A horse whose mouth hurts will sometimes clench its jaws, tightening up the muscles in the neck and shoulders, with the result that the horse can’t walk out with its front legs the way it should.

To prevent dental problems, a horse's teeth should be checked by a veterinarian every six months. And more frequent checks may be needed if the horse is very young or very old.
A horse’s teeth will probably need rasping once a year, although if he is under four or over 16 years of age then he may need more regular check-ups. Equine dentists have specialised tools that enable them to balance, float and rectify problems. Your horse may have to be tranquillised, in which case a vet will have to be in attendance.

Like humans, horses grow two sets of teeth in a lifetime and an expert can estimate a horse’s age by examining its teeth.
Unlike human teeth, a horse’s teeth will continue to grow throughout its life - which is why they need to be rasped or floated on a regular basis.
If this is not done the molars can develop nasty sharp edges.

Many dental problems in horses are related to the fact that their teeth grow continuously. Horses are evolved to graze almost non-stop, often on rough forage in semi-arid climates, and their teeth are designed to wear as the horse chews, thus preventing excess growth.
As a horse ages, its teeth may deteriorate to the point where even rasping them can’t help. You may notice wads of hay on the ground in feeding areas, indicating that the horse is chewing the hay but cannot break it down enough to swallow it.

This inevitably leads to weight loss. To counter this, you should switch to either hay pellets or cubes that have been soaked in enough water to make them into a soft mush. The pellets can then be used to either supplement the normal pasture or as the sole source of forage.