Mette Aarup graduated as a veterinarian from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in 1994. She has chosen to specialize in dental care and treatment of diseases of the horse's teeth and head.
Mette comes from a family of dentists, so it was natural for her to choose horse dentistry when she wanted to start her own business. Mette has gained her many years of experience through courses and hands-on training in Germany, England, and Sweden, among other places. She completed her dental education at the veterinary school in Uppsala, Sweden.
Equitec met with Mette for a chat about equipment for the horse's mouth.
Mette uses two horse skulls to demonstrate her theory, one large horse skull and one young pony skull. Foals get their milk teeth shortly after birth, and as the skull grows, there is room for the first permanent tooth at 1 year of age. After this, it continuously gets more molars, and at 2 years of age, the young horse begins to lose its milk teeth as the permanent teeth have formed deep within the jawbone. This is a turbulent period in the young horse's life, and it can experience pain, foul odor, and difficulty with food as the new teeth erupt. By 4.5 years of age, the dentition is usually complete.
Mette points out that it's a good idea to check if the horse has wolf teeth – these are small extra teeth located in front of the first molar. If so, it would be a good idea to have them removed, preferably before the horse is bridled. Wolf teeth are not a problem in themselves, but they can become one when a bit is introduced into the mouth.
Mette often encounters horses that are restless on the reins but have no visible wolf teeth. Only after a more thorough examination has she found fragments of wolf teeth roots that have bothered the horse when the bit was in its mouth. The crown of the tooth can simply break off due to the bit hitting the wolf tooth. The horse often becomes restless in the mouth as it is naturally painful to have a bit hitting a broken tooth. So wolf teeth should be removed early, and the earlier the better, and preferably before starting breaking in. If a young horse is shedding teeth at 2 years of age, it sometimes happens that wolf teeth fall out with them. Mette's last advice regarding young horses is to be aware that if you start breaking them in early at 3 years of age, you risk hitting the troublesome teething period, which can be painful for the horse. In these cases, it's a good idea to give them a 2-week break.
Mette shows the horse's bars, which are the toothless area in the horse's mouth. This area is much shorter in an Icelandic horse than in a large horse. Therefore, it is important to find suitable, small bits for these horses that lie well and stably in the horse's mouth. Most of us have probably heard the myth "two wrinkles at the corners of the horse's mouth, then the bit fits well." This is not optimal for an Icelandic horse, as they have very small mouths. If we allow the horse to have two wrinkles at the corners of its mouth, we most often end up pulling the bit up against the first molars. The best approach is to place the bit at the corner of the mouth so there is a minimum of 1.5 – 2 centimeters up to the molars. Mette explains that teeth are alive and have nerves. This is useful for the horse so it can feel if it is about to step on a stone, allowing it to spit it out again. It also means it is painful if the bit strikes the teeth. Mette compares it to running a metal bit up and down our shin.
See pictures for demonstration:
NOTE: The skeleton is from a LARGE HORSE, so please consider that an Icelandic horse is much smaller.
Here in the picture, we can see what it would look like if the horse sucked up the bit, or if we tightened the bit too high in the mouth. Here, the horse holds the bit together with its molars, which causes wear on the teeth and creates tension in the jaws.
Here in the picture, we can see what it would look like if the horse sucked up the bit, or if we tightened it too high in the mouth.
Here in the picture, the horse has one wrinkle, and the finger shows where the horse's tooth is.
Here in the picture, we can see a bit that is correctly placed in the horse's mouth.
Here we see the bit sitting at the corner of the mouth, where it should be. Here we see the horse has no wrinkles and has plenty of space up to its molars.
Mette often observes that the front teeth are worn down because the metal sits too close to the teeth and thus wears on the horse's teeth. Some horses try to avoid the pain that comes from the bit hitting their teeth by sucking the bit up. If the horse takes control and places the bit between its teeth, it means less pain for the horse. If you ride with overly tight nosebands, you close the horse's mouth, and the horse cannot move its mouth freely. This would be the same as if we humans clench our teeth and are asked to perform; it is certainly not pleasant and causes a lot of tension.
Mette recommends riding with a loose noseband and preferably using an English combined noseband.
Mette likes most bits, as long as they fit well in the horse's mouth and the horse likes them. Therefore, it can be a good idea to try different ones. However, Mette points out that most Icelandic horses have a narrow tongue and a small mouth, so one should be aware if riding with a three-piece bit, as it can pinch the horse's tongue. Or if the bit is too thick, it takes up too much space in the mouth. Here, she suggests riding with narrow two-piece or undivided bits instead.