A comprehensive preventive health care program for horses should always include regular dental visits.
Twice a year, my horses are seen by their lay equine dentist, Brian Stuart. Unlike human teeth, equine teeth are constantly growing, which means their bites are always changing. Because of this, it is very important for a horse’s mouth to be examined for any sharp edges or misaligned molars. The process of correcting these conditions is called floating - filing or rasping an equine’s teeth so that chewing surfaces are smooth and properly contoured for eating. These days, power floating has become a popular method, but I prefer the all-natural, more traditional hand filing process. Yesterday, Brian came to my stable to check on all my horses, including the newest residents, Geert and Hylke.
Here are some photos.
This is the Stable, located at the foot of my long Boxwood Allee and within view of my Winter House. Currently, my stable has 10 equids – my five donkeys, Rufus, Billie, Clive, Jude “JJ” Junior, and Truman “TJ” Junior, my four Friesian horses – Rinze, Bond, Hylke, and Geert, and my Fell pony, Banchunch.
Yesterday, all my Friesians and Banchunch got their teeth checked. These are Brian’s tools of the trade. They are called floats. When not being used on a horse, Brian soaks them in a Chlorhexidine solution, an antimicrobial disinfectant.
Each float is fitted with a sharp tungsten carbide blade made of chips that are bonded to the base. This is what files each tooth during the floating process. Brian has 10-floats in his bucket. The floats also come in varying angles for use on different teeth. By using these floats, Brian can file sharp enamel points to correct any dental imbalances.
Floats are about 21-inches long. The long handles allow Brian to get to the back molars.
This is an “s” file, a two-sided file used for finishing areas and for polishing the front of the molars section where the horse’s bit sits.
The key to working with horses is to gain their trust, which in turn helps them calm down. Brian spends a few minutes just talking to each horse before he begins working. Here is Hylke meeting Brian for the first time.
Brian has been practicing for more than 30-years. He always works in the horse stalls where they are most relaxed. He starts by checking on Hylke’s front teeth. Hylke is comfortable with him from the very beginning.
This is a McPherson full mouth speculum. It keeps the horse’s mouth open during the floating process.
Brian places the speculum on Hylke – he doesn’t seem to mind it at all.
After feeling his teeth with his hand, Brian reaches in with a float to assess the back molars and float those that need it.
Hylke remains still for the entire process. Brian continues to speak softly to keep Hylke relaxed. Fortunately, Hylke has had regular floating at his last stable, so his teeth are in good condition.
After a half hour, he is back to eating hay and watching all the farm activities from his stall window. Good boy, Hylke.
Next is Geert.
Much of Brian’s work is done through feel. He feels for any abnormalities in Geert’s mouth. Horses have 42 teeth in all. Of those, 24 are molars and premolars that are constantly growing and being worn away.
Regular dental exams and floating are an important part of a horse’s preventative health care plan, so Brian comes to my stable twice a year. Over the years, power floating has become more popular than traditional hand filing, but this manual method is more natural and does not require anesthesia. All that is needed is a knowledgeable practitioner and a trusting relationship between horse and dentist. Geert is also very good during the entire session.
Brian uses a float to file any uneven or high edges of the front molars. The process of teeth floating and occlusion adjustment are not painful, but the sound of the rasp may need some getting used to, especially for a horse that is new to dental care.
Brian secures the speculum on Geert’s head. Geert is also accustomed to this apparatus and doesn’t mind wearing it.
Then, Brian feels every tooth and assesses its condition. He also runs his hand up and down the cheek to check for scratches or sores or anything unusual.
Brian is very gentle when floating teeth – being a lay equine dentist requires excellent horse skills. Geert is also done within 30-minutes.
What a good boy you are, Geert. All five of my horses received good reports and all five have healthy well-aligned teeth.
After their dental exams and some hay, they’ll all go back out to their paddocks where they can run, roll, and graze – their favorite activities – for several hours and then return for grooming. See you soon, Geert and Hylke.
Today at my Bedford, New York farm, we're expecting sunshine with temperatures in the mid-50s - pretty mild weather for February. We're getting a lot of work done outdoors and indoors.
Inside my main greenhouse, we've already planted lots of seeds for the coming gardening season and they're all growing nicely - most of them are from Johnny's Selected Seeds, a source I've used for many years. Starting from seed is not difficult to do, but it does require careful attention and patience. And, once the seedlings start to develop, it’s important to keep up with maintenance care - thin out seedlings that are weak, prick out those that are growing too big for their seed starting trays, and transplant them into larger pots and flats.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Seed starting trays and pots come in all different sizes and depths. These flats have individual pots which will accommodate seedlings that are now ready to transplant from smaller containers. Experiment with pots to see which ones work best for what plants. And, always choose containers or trays that have proper drainage holes at the bottom. Johnny’s Selected Seeds offers a huge variety of seedling trays and other vessels.
Wendy Norling, who usually works at Skylands, my home in Maine, is visiting New York and working at my Bedford farm for a couple weeks. Here she is preparing a series of flats with pots so she can transplant some of the growing flower seedlings.
Wendy fills the pots with a good all-purpose potting soil mix. A good quality organic mix designed for seedlings will be fast draining, and light. It will usually contain sphagnum moss and perlite or vermiculite. These mixes are formulated to encourage strong, healthy growth in new plants.
This tool is great for transplanting seedlings – it’s from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It’s called a widger. It has a convex stainless steel blade that delicately separates the tiny plants.
Regardless of how perfect seeds may appear, germination is never guaranteed, so multiple seeds are always planted in each seed starting tray cell. This provides a better chance at least one in each cell will take root. When the seedlings are a couple inches tall, and have reached their “true leaf” stage, which is when each seedling has sprouted a second set of leaves, it’s time for a process called selective thinning – removing the weaker sprouts and leaving those that have a better chance of growing strong. Once selective thinning is complete, there should only be one seedling in each cell of the seed starting tray or container. These hollyhock seedlings are big enough to transplant.
Wendy carefully loosens the soil around the seedling with the widger and lifts the seedling. The widger also helps to avoid damage to the plant’s leaves or roots.
Hollyhocks have long taproots as well as lateral roots that need space, so the deeper the pot, the better.
Wendy uses the wider end of the widger to create a hole a couple inches deep in the new pot.
These holes can also be made with one’s finger – the mix is very soft.
Wendy places the seedling in the hole and gently firms up the surrounding soil. Avoid handling the seedling by its tender stems, which can bruise easily.
The growing seedlings will remain in the new larger pots until they are ready to plant in the ground.
Osmocote is a slow-release fertilizer. Osmocote particles are known as prills. The beige shell on the prill coats a core of nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
My gardeners spend many cold, winter days planting seeds in trays. Some are placed in a smaller greenhouse adjacent to the head house. These seedlings are in different stages of growth. As they germinate and begin to mature, it’s important to check their development, so they continue to thrive. These seedlings are dianthus, treasured for its grasslike, blue-green foliage and abundant small and often spicily fragrant flowers.
These seedlings are foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. Foxglove flowers are clusters of tubular shaped blooms in colors of white, lavender, yellow, pink, red, and purple. These were planted from seed a few weeks ago and already transplanted into larger pots. The purpose of transplanting is to provide enough room – overcrowding can stress the sprouts. These look so much better in the pots.
And these are lupines – colorful spiked flowers that grow one to four feet tall. These are also growing in flats in the greenhouse.
I also use my Urban Cultivators. I have one commercial unit and two smaller residential units in my head house. Once seeds are planted in trays, they are covered with humidity domes which remain positioned over the seed tray until germination begins. Each tray receives about 18-hours of light a day with the appropriate amount of water and humidity.
These seedlings already germinated – the covers have been removed. Inside the Urban Cultivator, they are receiving the best growing conditions. It is fascinating to watch the plants grow.
All our hollyhock seedlings are now transplanted and fed in their larger containers.
Finally, Wendy gives them a good drink of water and returns the flats to the greenhouse to continue growing. And then it is back inside to transplant more – thanks, Wendy. We’ll have a lot of flowers and vegetables to plant outdoors this season.
We can all work together to eradicate hunger and food insecurity in our communities.
Last week, while I was in southern California attending the Big Game, I also partnered with Ralphs, a division of The Kroger Co. and its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste campaign, to Team Up to End Hunger at a fundraiser in LA's Downtown Arts District. The event benefited The Los Angeles Mission which has been providing vital assistance to people in the area since 1936. On Game Day, the second biggest food consumption day of the year after Thanksgiving, we hosted a fun competition for volunteers and influencers to see who could pack the most meal kits in the shortest amount of time. Up to 200 meals along with a grant for $100,000 were given to The Los Angeles Mission to help the area's neediest residents. It was a very fun event and a very special cause.
Enjoy these photos.
Whenever I travel, I try to do as much as possible. These trips are even more special when I can help a good cause – like fighting hunger and food insecurity in our country. More than 100 volunteers, influencers, spectators, press, and friends gathered at this Zero Hunger | Zero Waste event in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
The inside of the 15-thousand square foot WUF Studios space was decorated with a football sports theme – inspired, of course, by the Big Game itself. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
Cheerleaders welcomed the guests at the entrance…
…And performed spirited cheers throughout the two-hour event.
Band players were also on hand. This sousaphone player and trombone player took a short break to smile for the camera. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
Many volunteers attended to support the initiative and the Los Angeles Mission – a non-profit, private organization that serves the immediate and long-term needs of homeless and disadvantaged men, women and children. The Mission is among the nation’s largest service providers and works hard to supply meals, hot showers, safe shelter, and other life-giving aid to those in need. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
Enthusiastic spectators and fans watched from bleacher seats on the side lines. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
And here I am with Sarah Meyer Michaelson, owner of ROE Caviar – one of my favorite caviars.
Teams worked hard to pack as many meal kits as possible.
Meals included nutritious, delicious, fresh Game Day sandwiches. I made sure they were made big and filled with lots of ingredients. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
Everyone had a fun time working for a very special cause. Do you know… one in eight Americans struggles with hunger every day? According to the USDA, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, in the United States are food insecure. We can all work to end hunger in our communities. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
Denise Osterhues, senior director of sustainability & social impact at The Kroger Co., addressed the audience and thanked everyone for attending. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
The Kroger communications team was there rooting everyone on, including director of corporate affairs, John Votava, on the right. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
I joined event MC, Ben Glieb, as Ralphs presents its check for 100-thousand dollars to The Los Angeles Mission. Ralphs and Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact campaign team is committed to ridding hunger in its communities by 2025. This check will help feed thousands of Americans. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
I always notice the Frenchies. Here I am with Nikki Star of IG @WTFrenchies, and her furred twosome.
London Kaye, a local yarn artist, also displayed some of her works in the space. See more of her work @madebylondon.
Here, a volunteer stands next to some of the meal kits he helped prepare. Did his team come out victorious? (Photo by Ethan Glanger)
It was a very fun and inspirational event. Ralphs customers are also invited to join in the Team Up to End Hunger effort by rounding up in-store purchases or making cash donations at all 95 Ralphs locations in Los Angeles County throughout February with all proceeds benefitting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. If you are in the area, I encourage you to help. For more information, click on the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste web site. (Photo by Ethan Glanger)