EQ CONSULTANTS

MANAGEMENT

Do wolf teeth always need to be extracted?

Q: I’ve owned my 4-year-old Quarter Horse gelding for just over a year and recently moved to a new boarding barn. My horse has received regular dental care and has never had any trouble with his teeth. However, the manager at my new barn insists that my horse needs to have his wolf teeth removed. She says that even if they aren’t causing trouble now, they will in the future. Still, I feel like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Is it still routine to remove wolf teeth, even if they don’t seem to be bothering the horse at all?

While the practice of extracting wolf teeth should not be considered “routine,” in the sense that it is done automatically or without any thought to individual circumstances, it is a very common