Horse grinds teeth

[PaulaO]

I told him he might need a brux apparatus, like I have.

Joking aside, there is an older horse that I've been grooming at the rescue . Shazam is a 20 year old Trak about 15.3 (good height for me ). He grinds his teeth when being groomed. I haven't been around him long enough to know if he does this all the time (like in turnout). I'd like to see more groceries on him but that's not my call. He is on U-Shield (not U-guard) so someone along the way (like the vet, who was Bob's vet) must think he is ulcer prone.

I'm guessing the grinding could be from stress. Any other likely causes? Nervousness? Could it just be a habit?

[kande50]

I'm guessing the grinding could be from stress. Any other likely causes? Nervousness? Could it just be a habit?

It's been linked to pain.

[PaulaO]

Pain in any specific area?

[kande50]

Pain in any specific area?

I don't think so. One horse I knew of who ground his teeth had something wrong with his front legs. Don't know what it was, but he needed surgery to fix it, which he eventually got, but I don't know if the grinding went away after the surgery? He was at a barn where they were hard on the horses, so he may have been stressed by the work as well as the pain?

[Saddlebum]

my experience with my gelding is grinding signals ulcer or ulcer coming on. May be why he's thin. My guy frets. His mother was a worry wort and got hiccups.

[Hoof'n it]

I believe Grinding teeth is mainly related to ulcers.
However pain and habit can also be a factor.

So put him on a ulcer treatment (or a different you are using) and upping his forage intake - adlib hay for instance... if that doesn't help cut back on the teeth grinding, I would check the pain route.

[Koolkat]

My experience with it has been that it is associated with discomfort - which certainly doesn't rule out ulcers.

[lorilu]

My horse grinds when asked to piaffe. It is associated, we believe, with early training before former owner got him. It is much less now.... SO perhaps tension.

How are his ears? His eyes? they will clue you in as to whether it is pain or habit - as in "that's the spot!"

L