A Period of Rapid Change

Between birth and age 5, a horse replaces all 24 deciduous (baby) teeth with permanent adult teeth. This process involves the eruption of up to 44 permanent teeth — including molars that have no baby tooth predecessor. It's a lot of change happening in a relatively short time.

Caps and Retained Deciduous Teeth

As permanent teeth push through, the baby teeth ('caps') should loosen and fall off naturally. Sometimes a cap is retained — it stays attached, causing pain, infection, or misalignment of the emerging permanent tooth. Regular examinations allow us to identify and remove retained caps before they cause problems.

The Examination Schedule for Young Horses

We recommend the following schedule for young horses:

• First exam at 1 year — Baseline assessment, check for congenital issues
• Every 6 months until age 5 — Monitor tooth eruption, check for retained caps, assess wolf teeth
• Annual exams from age 5 — Once all permanent teeth are in place

Wolf Teeth and Bit Seats

Many young horses develop wolf teeth that should be evaluated before the horse starts working in a bridle. We can also create smooth 'bit seats' on the first cheek teeth to improve comfort with the bit.

Setting Up for Success

Early dental care does more than fix immediate problems — it establishes a positive association with dental examinations. A young horse that has good early experiences with the dentist will be far more cooperative throughout its life. At Equide, we take extra care with our youngest patients, using gentle handling and appropriate sedation.

Have a young horse? Book a dental check to ensure they're developing properly.