The vet clinic at Deloraine has four out of five of its vets complete post-graduate training in equine dentistry and the clinic also has a dedicated equine hospital to allow it to perform procedures all year round and in all weather.

Vet Roger Blackwell said the clinic services both the North and North-West through a variety of in-house consultations and house calls.

Equine dentistry is becoming more popular and a number of vets across the state offer the services to the state’s horse-owning population. Horses are susceptible to teeth problems but those issues may present in a variety of ways that may not necessarily be easily identified or attributed to dental issues.

“Horses will put up with a lot of pain, they can’t tell you when there’s something wrong,” Dr Blackwell said. He said he had seen many cases where horses had presented with a variety of different health problems that could be traced back to their teeth.

“That’s what really excites me and continues to do so after 35 years in this industry, the detective game,” Dr Blackwell said.

One horse presented with a fetlock infection, that can be fatal, that had been transmitted through the bloodstream through an infection in their teeth.

Another was crushed during a racing accident that had caused imperfections to develop in its teeth, that caused an abscess in its cheek.

Teeth problems may cause horses to become more unresponsive to the bit as well as to other movements or commands riders use in eventing and dressage.

A sore tooth or ulcers on the cheek can cause a horse to become not as flexible in its jaw, which would compromise its reaction on the bit.

In dressage, a rider will use a technique called “turning the horse around your leg” which means to turn the horse in a tight circle using the bit and your leg.

Less flexibility in the mouth or cheek where the tooth is sore could cause the horse to be unable to turn as tightly or at all, depending on the pain.

Dr Blackwell said equine dentistry was growing in popularity and a lot more vets across the state were adding it to their repertoire.

“It’s testament to how reasonably inexpensive it is to own a horse in this country, comparable to other nations,” Dr Blackwell said.

Recent figures suggest Australia had 70 per cent of the world’s pony club members and Tasmania has its fair share of those.

The Meander Valley Vet Service can be found on Facebook or by phone on 6362 2108.