What does it mean to float a horses' teeth?

In domesticated horses, it is very common for their teeth to wear unevenly and develop sharp points and sharp edges that can cut into their jaws or tongue. As you can imagine, this can make it very difficult and painful for a horse to eat. Also, when they can't chew properly, their food is not digested properly and a horse can very quickly loose weight and look in poor or sick condition, no matter how much food they're getting.

Floating a horses teeth is a term that means the vet or equine dentist takes a long handled rasp and files off any sharp points and edges on the horses teeth.

Eeek! Sounds painful, huh? I thought so, too. (The first time I saw a horses' teeth floated, I cried! Yes, I am a sap :D But every vet and equine dentist I've talked to and everything I've read says that this procedure is not painful to the horse because the sensitive nerves are located so deep within the tooth. (And horses' teeth are very long, some teeth are up to 4 inches!)

Although I may never be 100% totally convinced it's not painful, it probably is true. Whether it's true or not, I do believe a good equine dentist can make it comfortable (or at least tolerable) for the horse and let's face the facts: nobody (especially us humans) likes the dentist but it's something that we just have to do.

Like people, a horse should have regular dental checkups and if your horse looses some weight and you don't know why and/or drops a lot of grain from their mouth while eating, it is a pretty good sign that they need their teeth checked. I believe word of mouth is the best advertising so ask around with other horse people you know and find a good equine dentist or vet to take care of your horses' teeth.

How many teeth does a horse have?

Foals begin to grow teeth within their first week.

By one year old, they have a complete set of 24 temporary or baby teeth (called deciduous teeth)

By age 5, the adult horse has a complete set of permanent teeth:
Female horses have 40 permanent teeth
Male horses have 42 permanent teeth (the male has 2 canine teeth that the female does not have)

Types of Colic

Spasmodic colic is believed to be the most common cause of intestinal colic. It can be caused when a hot horse drinks cold water. It can also be caused by fear or stress, therefore flighty, nervous, high-strung horses are more susceptible to spasmodic colic than a calmer, more laid back, "bomb proof" horse, especially during transportation, moving to a new environment, being separated from its herd, etc.

Impaction colic is very common as well. It's usually caused by the horse overeating, usually too much grain. The horse not having enough water to drink, a heavy worm infestation or the horse not chewing its food properly (due to either eating too fast or dental problems), are all common causes of impaction colic. (A good reason to keep your horses teeth checked).

There is also Flatulent Colic, also known as Tympanic colic. It's more the "indigestion" type colic which causes a lot of gas and pain, normally caused from eating too much grain or grass or eating moldy or bad feed.

Again, colic is an emergency. Call your vet immediately if your horse shows signs of colicking.