The Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation (the “CIEF”) is bringing an equine specialist to the island in January to ‘float’ or file the teeth of any horses requiring it. Whether your horse is a Cayman pony or an overseas sport horse, their teeth probably need to be filed if they have not been checked in the past year.

If you’ve ever heard the expression ‘long in the tooth’ applied to a person, you’ll know that it refers to a person of considerable years. But have you ever wondered about the origins of this phrase? Like so many of the daily idioms we use, it has an interesting background.

The phrase ‘long in the tooth’ stems from a reference to horses. The longer a horse’s teeth, the older it is. Horses have two sets of teeth, like humans, but that is pretty much where the similarity ends. Horses’ teeth continue to erupt through the gums for the majority of a horse’s life. If you thought a visit to your dentist was bad, a horse will often need to have its teeth filed down or ‘floated’ by an equine specialist at least once a year. The filing is done in order to remove sharp edges or hooks that can develop as a result of the continuous grinding motion of the horse’s teeth against one another as the horse eats. The filing does not hurt as there are no nerves in the teeth. In fact, the filing usually brings relief and often prevents problems down the track such as toothache, mouth odour, problems with wearing a bit, problems eating and weight loss.

In addition, the CIEF has arranged for an equine veterinarian from the United States to visit Grand Cayman from January 5^th to 9^th. The equine vet will be bringing with him specialized diagnostic equipment and treatments that are not otherwise available on the island. The vet will be conducting visits in conjunction with a veterinarian from the Agriculture Department.

If you would like further details or to make an appointment for your horse to be seen by either one of these equine specialists, please contact [email protected]

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