Dental Day

Today was Dental Day for the horses in the neighborhood. I always love this day because I get to see my livewire pony get totally stoned and start drooling and snoring. Plus of course it is really excellent for his dental health and therefore his overall health. Thanks to the marvel of iPhone technology, I was able to capture a few of the moments to share with all.

Starts off with Cowboy, having received his happy shot, getting an exam by Dr. Crocker, checking out his bite and teeth to see what needs to be done. That is one stoned pony. Don't try this with Cowboy unless there are sedatives on board.

Next comes the speculum to hold his mouth open for the real work to begin. This apparatus, combined with sedation, allows access for a thorough exam and extensive work with both hand and power tools.

And when I say power tools, I'm not kidding.  Here is Cowboy getting some serious grinding done on his molars. This grinds down sharp points and helps to correct malocclusions (misalignments). Horse's teeth don't actually grow all during their life, but they do continually erupt as tooth surface is worn down. If the alignment isn't correct, misalignments just tend to get worse as time goes by, with upper tooth wear affected by abnormalities in the opposing lower tooth, and vice versa. Addressing issues on a regular basis (annually with our horses) keeps problems in check.

I didn't time this procedure but it probably took around an hour, after which Cowboy was still somewhat groggy and bore watching for a bit. As long as he was still sedated, he got his intranasal flu vaccine which he finds unpleasant, and also both boys got their sheaths cleaned. I did not photograph that procedure!

Cowboy had a little sore on his tongue, possibly caused by a point on one of his incisors, so my homework assignment is to rinse his mouth out with saline for a few days and to examine his teeth and mouth. Which means honing those Parelli skills so that he will allow this, preferably without biting me. He's a mouthy guy and his first reaction to being messed with is to defend himself with his teeth. That goes double if his teeth are what need defending. One of the Parelli tasks I needed to accomplish was to reach into his mouth and hold his tongue, just for occasions such as today's exam. That was the most difficult thing I've had to do, and got bitten twice in the process. Maybe I'm a wimp but I have to say that it really really hurt and was a bit of a bloodbath. So this will be a good test of my skills. I must think positive and regard it as an opportunity for growth.

In other news, I got word that Cowboy and I passed our Level 3 Liberty audition. We scored a 3++, just shy of level 4! Apparently the video quality was good enough for an evaluation. Cowboy got high marks on his Sideways work and his ability to weave through the barrels at a trot. We received lower marks on Respect. Not a surprise, since he decided to take a little break in the middle of the video to roll several times, and when he went up on the pedestal he decided to hang out there for a bit in spite of my requests for him to get down. Of course, Cowboy thinks he belongs on a pedestal anyway so why should he get off? He also doesn't think we have any issues with respect as he is quite certain that I do respect him.

I've started another blog that is a sort of general interest blog for recreational riders and people who just love horses. First post will arrive shortly on (what else) equine dental care. Check it out at equineconnection.blogspot.com.

Time flies when you're having fun or even if you're not, and it looks like it's been a while since I've been here. Work, which had been worrisomely slow, suddenly picked up in January and left me with little time for riding or blogging. But winter is letting up and we have gotten a few really nice days in the last few weeks. Not right now--it's been cold and rainy, and we can see snow on the nearby hills, which only happens about once a year. But we have been able to get out on the trail several times in nice weather, which has been a treat. Cowboy's saddle fit problems may be solved but it will be some time before we know for sure.

A new feature on Rift Zone trail at Pt Reyes is the great blue heron that has taken up residence near the trail. He's been there the last couple of rides, posing motionless until you approach, then taking off like an enormous prehistoric bird. The first time we were pretty apprehensive about how the horses would react to this but they were completely nonplussed. Probably helped that the bird was flying away from us rather than toward us. I suspect we would have had a different outcome if it seemed the heron was attacking!

Here are Dexter and Laura on Sky Trail close to the Mt Wittenburg summit a couple weeks ago on a gorgeous spring-like day. We happened upon a group of women enjoying the sunshine close to here and struck up a conversation. Turns out two of them live down the street from us and we often see one of them out walking her dog. Small world!

One thing I got done during one nice weekend was videotaping Cowboy for our Parelli Level 3 Liberty audition. And unlike the last time, it got edited and uploaded to YouTube in just a few weeks rather than the 6 months it took to get the last one posted. Unfortunately, the quality was a bit poor to start with because of the sunny and shady spots in the arena, and when it was compressed to upload to YouTube the quality degraded further so it is a bit difficult to follow. But it's called "Joan Cowboy Parelli Audition" if you want to take a peek. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRvnikcIZlQ

Looks like the cold and rain are here to stay for a bit so there probably won't be a lot of riding going on. Good opportunity to catch up on the mountains of paperwork in my office that have gotten away from me.