Grinding teeth?

[J-Lu]

Dear COTH,

My horse has been grinding his teeth for the last few months. This was noted by a trainer and a fellow boarder who keeps her horse next to mine. I know grinding teeth is related to stress, but…

My horse’s workload has been significantly decreased from the summer time. He lives mostly outside, in his own pasture, with his gals in the pastures on either side now. He went though a stressful time when he had no neighbor on one side (but there are horses across the street which he can see). In nicer weather, his pasture is great. Now, he gets hay twice daily, and he leaves some so I know he isn’t starving. His vet saw him in October and said his teeth didn’t need floating until spring, but he needed a grain diet which he is on. He’s mainly fed diet balancer with a little of his normal grain (was reduced gradually).

He’s not in hard or even what I would normally call work right now (due to me and the weather, not him), when I bring the tack down to the arena he sees and starts walking to the door, running if I get to the door first. He looooooves coming out for grooming, attention, etc. He really likes interaction with people.

I notice that he grinds his teeth when I groom his favorite spots, when I remove his saddle after working, and other times when he is normally extra relaxed. Even fully dropped. His head is down, his ears and eyes are relaxed and he sometimes sticks his tongue waaaaay out to the side. Everything but the grinding says that he’s relaxed, and this is a horse who is very clear with his posture when he is not relaxed.

Anyone have any ideas why he’s grinding his teeth and if I should be looking for something in particular? Thanks!

[cayuse]

My welsh pony does this when his stomach is bothering him. He mostly does it after being trailered. Once we started treating him with gastrogard before trailering and the day after, he was fine.

[SuzieQNutter]

Ad above I know of teeth grinding meaning pain.

[OneTwoMany]

I would wonder about ulcers too. Easy to test. Try a week or two of UG or GG. If he improves, you are on to something.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Every horse I’ve seen grind his teeth has been in pain, from either colic or ulcers.

[J-Lu]

Thanks, everyone! I’ll run this by my vet. But he seems so… blissful…when he grinds his teeth. So weird!!

Edit, I truly can’t arrange a less stressful lifestyle for this horse. Huh.

[Trot_On]

My OTTB will occasionally click his teeth together when being ridden. I think at first he used it to express his opinion as we worked to find the type of bit he preferred.Now that he is comfortable with his low port mylar, I have rarely heard him. He has also clicked his teeth when we were working on something on the flat that he was really confused about.

I asked the dentist if this indicated a problem with his teeth or TMJ joint. He (after thoroughly checking) said no, he has seen other horses do it. When I asked if there was anything I should do about it, he said I could substitute another habit; he suggested I teach him to smoke. I haven’t taught him to smoke, if he clicks his teeth together I know I need to keep patiently working and explain things better.

When my pony does it I know he is confused, or starting to be ticked off; but the rest of his body language tells me the same thing. Your guy has relaxed body language, so his habit may just not match the norm. Good thing to run by the vet, but it might be that as long as it follows his established pattern it is NBD. When the body language changes, or the pattern changes he may be trying to tell you something else. Be interesting to see what your vet says, probably not teach him to smoke, my equine dentist is a character!

[NancyM]

I think it can mean many different things to many different horses. It can be stress. Or not, it can just be a habit… something that makes a sound that they find appealing. I’ve had two who did it in the past 50 years of horse ownership, at different times, for different reasons. If the rest of the body language is “relaxed”, I’d go with that.

[candyappy]

@J-Lu

Thanks, everyone! I’ll run this by my vet. But he seems so… blissful…when he grinds his teeth. So weird!!

Edit, I truly can’t arrange a less stressful lifestyle for this horse. Huh.

Maybe it is his release for feeling stress? Like a horse that cribs, maybe it brings him pleasure?

[lorilu]

For those of you who say “all” grinding means pain, let me introduce you to Bravo, my 12 yo Lusitano. WHen asked to really work - we are showing Fourth level, and he has piaffe/passage - he grinds his teeth. Recent FULL vet workup showed nothing sore in legs or body (vet said that’s unusual for a horse working at this level… ). It’s just tension. He came to me like this - someone, in his youth, pushed him too far too fast (imported from Brazil)… and grinding the bit is his tension release.

[asterix]

Mine seems also to do it when his brain is active – sometimes during dressage, sometimes hacking on a loose rein when he sees something interesting. He NEVER does it when jumping…very curious stuff, but it does not seem at all pain-related (and teeth checked etc etc)

[J-Lu]

Haha, Trot on!! You’d have to apply nicotine patches at shows! Thanks for the advice.

Thanks all for your collective advice! I’m starting to think he likes the sound because he does it during his relaxation time. He does not ever seem stressed or in pain when he does it…his eyes are soft and ears are relaxed and head/neck is down. He never does it when being ridden or longed, or looking at something. I have a SS3 now and will look at his mouth when I use it more…when it’s warmer out and my fingers don’t freeze off setting it up. Maybe he’s just odd. I will get some video of my grooming him and will send the teeth grinding clips to my vet. I can put my SS3 tag on his halter and film him.

Interesting, Lorilu. Did your horse come from Interago?

[LarkspurCO]

My horse grinds his teeth occasionally when he is doing something difficult or challenging under saddle. Usually it’s when we’re doing lateral movements or working through a lot of transitions, which makes him anticipate what’s coming next.

He started doing it as a 3-year-old when I was showing him in hand (he turns 8 this year). It was very warm and we were standing around tired and bored, waiting for the class to start, and I heard him start to quietly grind his teeth. He may have picked up on some of the other young horses’ anxiety, but it wasn’t me because I was falling asleep. Ever since then, he has had the tendency to grind.

He is sort of an odd combination of laid back and compulsive at the same time. He is very smart and loves to work and learn, and is obsessed with his rituals – must pee and poop before and after work, must do yoga stretches when he sees me in the morning, or when getting a blanket changed, or when the farrier is here (eats his chestnuts then too). I think the tooth grinding as an extension of his OCD behavior.