Honnington visited by equine dentist Simon Vieweg (IAED/C, BEVA, BVDA/Q, EqDT) from Westrow.....

Following an earlier visit by the dentist, which established that more extensive work was required, equine dentist Simon Vieweg recently returned to carry out work on 6 horses stabled at the Barn. As power tools had to be used, local vets were on hand to sedate and keep an eye on them. Tony Warr and Fran Hawkins from Putlands, Paddock Wood, treated Scooby-Doo, Shamrock, Ellie, Mystique and Prince. Trevor Robinson from Pennard, Sevenoaks treated Brooke.

The photos on this page are of Simon working on Scooby. Scooby's teeth had started to wear unevenly so that his jaw was out of alignment causing pressure on his mandible joint. This would have caused Scooby an increasing amount of discomfort. His teeth were ground level so that he can now close his jaws evenly and lower his bottom jaw properly. Another problem was that Scooby's incissors weren't level.

Scooby, like some of the other horses, had started growing 'hooks.' These are found on the front of the upper teeth and the back of the lower row of teeth. These points can become sharp and cause chewing difficulty, irritating the gum and can lead to an abscess forming. Hooks are filed down using tools called floats.

Two of the horses, Mystique and Ellie, needed 'wolf' teeth removed. These are the teeth just behind the area where the bit is placed and can sometimes interfere with comfortable bit placement. Problems with wolf teeth can include difficulty with the bit, bit chomping, and hostility to work.

Simon is part of the family firm Westrow Equine Dental Service based at High Hurstwood, East Sussex.
More information about Simon Vieweg (IAED/C, BEVA, BVDA/Q, EqDT) can be found on the Westrow website:

Other equine dentists that visit Honnington are -
Chris Keate (BAEDT BEVA/BVDA) based at Burgess Hill.
Telephone 01323 842176 Mobile 0836 640582
Francis Whittington CEqD based at Rotherfield, East Sussex.