TEETH

How you care for your horse today— whether he is 2, 7, 15 or anywhere in between— can have a significant impact on his health when he reaches old age.

Here are the five essentials for

longevity.

To discover one of the principle causes of precipitous decline in aging horses, look no farther than the teeth. “When a horse’s teeth go bad, things go downhill pretty quickly,” says Chris Robertson, DVM, of Blue Mountain Equine in Madison, Virginia. “If he can’t eat, he’s not going to be able to take in sufficient calories and nutrients to support any of his vital systems. Honestly, I think advances in dental care are one of the primary reasons we are seeing horses today live longer than ever.”

Missing or worn-down teeth can make it difficult for a horse to eat, but sometimes the source of trouble is hard to spot. “Any kind of inflammation