Although I had been told that I could continue using the same bit, Loopy didn’t seem comfortable with his old snaffle.

tongue seemed more prominent. I tried many but finally settled on a bit with a mouthpiece curved specifically to allow for a large amount of tongue clearance.

• Can he defend himself in a herd? A horse without front teeth might not be able to bite to defend himself when changes in the herd require the establishment of a new hierarchy. Luckily, this was not an issue for Loopy because he has been with the same pasturemates for years, and they all get along.

• Can he graze? It can take a little time for horses with no incisors to learn to crop grass, but they can do it. Loopy had his surgery in June, a prime grazing time here in the Northeast, and I took him out on the lead and picked grass for him until he got the hang of it. He would get frustrated