Tooth Floating

So finally the day came when the vet was going to come out and float the horse's teeth. I was pretty worried that it wouldn't go so well. I shouldn't have; it all went fine. I underestimated the power of sedation.
Dr. Gillis, of AMC, wanted to start with Barbie because her teeth were worse. By worse, I mean a lot worse. We didn't get around to Chocolate because it took longer than he thought, and he had other appointments.
For those of you that don't know, tooth floating is the act of grind a horse's teeth smooth. A horse's teeth never stop growing. They wear them out unevenly, creating bumps and dips in their teeth. When the teeth aren't smooth, the horse can't chew properly. Barbie really needed to have her teeth done; her droppings were looking unprocessed, and as soon as we scheduled an appointment, I started noticing she was losing weight. Really fast. I was feeding her a lot, too. That is a sign that she can't chew her food properly, and is being passed through without her body taking in the nutrients it needs.

First he gave Barbie a tiny sedation shot. It was nearly instant; I was holding her lead rope, and she started to sway around, barely keeping from falling over. She splayed her legs and finally was able to plant herself firmly to the ground.
Then Dr. Gillis put on the mouth gag, which holds her mouth open. He slung a collar with a rope over the rafters that her head rests on, to keep her head up. Otherwise, she would have kept her head really low to the ground, she was so tired. A towel was thrown over her eyes, just so she could stay calm.
He showed us what was wrong with her teeth. It is rather hard to see, but I can feel what he means when I reach my hand in. Many pointy teeth, and even a missing tooth, must make it hard to chew at all. Dr. Gillis's guess was that she had never had her teeth floated.
The tool that he uses is basically an electric file that he uses to smooth out her teeth. She spooked at first. They (the vet and the vet tech) had to give her more sedative because the first time they didn't give her a full dose.
It took quite a long time to get all those points smooth out. The vet used a hand rasp to get it down just to where it needed to be, and then we were done! I really shouldn't have worried at all. I was allowed to reach my hand in and feel the difference.
After the vet left, I sat with Barbie until the sedative wore off. It took about 45 minutes for her to come around all the way. She slept most of the time, not noticing anything around her.
So now I am really hoping Barbie gains back the weight she needs, because she is very skinny now, poor thing.

Horses: What We Have Been Working On

Over the winter, we sort of took a break from riding; not only was the pasture a mucky mess, but Camille and I have sort become wimps when it comes to riding in the cold. When we took lessons, we took all the riding we could get. Now that we have a choice....weeeellll, we like to wait mostly until spring. We did get a little riding in on Barbie occasionally, but only for a little bit at a time.
We've been riding quite a bit lately (on Barbie); it has only been getting better and better. Last summer, I think I spent the entire summer getting her to canter. Kicking and kicking, even using the crop a little, she always protested and put up a fuss. Lately she has been doing amazing; she doesn't protest at all, so I have been really focusing on my control at the canter.
It's funny; Barbie is really really smart. She knows that Camille still struggles with control, and she can get out of going faster by veering sharply, throwing Camille off balance. Then Camille has to pull Barbie up to regain her balance. So that is what Camille has been working on more specifically: control at the trot, before the canter. Riding in a pasture is sometimes frustrating, although it really has taught us a lot.
And Chocolate. Yes. The nosy one, the little troublemaker. Always in your face, always wanting love or a treat. She has been a handful lately.
Several weeks ago, I bought dewormer, simply because it needed to be done. They haven't been dewormed in over six months. I also bought a jar of molasses and a syringe to practice with, so she wouldn't put up a fuss. Oh boy.
I was by myself with her in the pasture. She wasn't tied (which was probably a good thing), but I wasn't thinking this through at all. I had the syringe with molasses (which she had never tasted) and stood in front of her and poked it into the corner of her mouth. She flipped out, her head snapped back, and somehow her front hoof shot out at the same time. Ouch; I turned just in time so she kicked my back and not my gut. It left a small bruise, but I was kind of freaked out. I don't think she meant to hurt me, that is just what happened. The vet later explained that it is much safer to stand to the side.
The vet was very kind to give the dewormer to the horses for us; he really had to manhandle Chocolate to get it in her mouth. Afterwords, Chocolate was really, really touchy about her mouth. I spent about a day working with her just for me to get my finger in her mouth.
I realized after that I didn't know if Chocolate even likes molasses, and that that would be a good thing to determine before trying the syringe again. We gave a squeeze in a grain bucket to each of them. They totally loved licking it off the bottom! I tried practicing the syringe with Barbie, and she didn't care about me putting it in her mouth and really liked it.
So back to Chocolate. I tried again; it really helped for her to know what it was, because she instantly recognized the scent and snatched it. The only problem is, she thinks the syringe is part of the treat. She has several times grabbed it and wouldn't let go. She nearly swallowed it! Last time she clamped on and cracked the syringe. Oh well. At least it isn't a problem anymore.