Touch A Prince is Faster in the Field and Faster into the Trailer

I'm always impressed by what a difference a dental makes in how a horse travels.  Since Touch A Prince has his dental just yesterday, I rode him again in the hackamore with no bit in his mouth.  We rode out to the back fields and did some trotting up and down hills, and I was surprised how well he moved.  He definitely thinks it's more fun and interesting to work outside than in the arena, but what impressed me what how big his trot became, how much he lifted his back, and how he lengthened his frame and reached further forward with his head and neck because his jaw could slide easily.  All these things tell me that his dental was a good thing to do.

A horse's teeth are continually erupting, which means the teeth are sort of growing up into the horse's mouth throughout his life.  This is good for a horse because he wears his teeth down when eating, and there is always new tooth appearing to replace what was worn off.  However, because we keep horses in living situations like stalls and paddocks, and they eat hay instead of pulling at grass while grazing in pastures, they wear their teeth differently than nature designed for them to do.  This wearing down of teeth can create sharp points in the horse's mouth, and cause the incisors to become uneven.  If the incisors don't line up correctly, that in turn affects how the cheek teeth meet, and how the jaw slides.  By filing or "floating" Touch A Prince's teeth to address the sharp points and uneven wear we made him much more comfortable, which became obvious in the way he moved and rode.

After we were done riding I untacked him and opened up the horse trailer again.  I led him over to the trailer and I walked in, and he followed me right in with no hesitation.  He dove into his mash in the rubber tub, and happily ate dinner there.  While he was eating, Mahzi the dog and Sabbath the cat romped around, in and out of the trailer, chasing each other and hopping up and down the step and ramp.  Touch A Prince ignored them and just ate his mash.  I even interrupted his eating to make him back out of the trailer, and then asked him to walk right back in, which he did immediately.  I sure appreciate how nice it is to have a smart quiet horse who wants to do things the easy way.

Video of loading into the trailer can be seen here:

https://www.facebook.com/kim.leonard.100/videos/10208189659756666/