Ten-year-old Nichole Shope from Superior adopted her horse Andy, or “Mr. Ed,” last June from the Bella Dea Rescue Foundation in Great Falls.

She purchased him with her own hard-earned money. The gray gelding is gentle and good with young riders, is quite the escape artist, and seems like a healthy young horse. But his age is one thing they’re not sure of.

So early Sunday morning Nichole and her mother Shawna brought Mr. Ed for a dental checkup during a traveling equine clinic that was held at the N Lazy J Arena in St. Regis.

Shawna said, “Andy is believed to be 15 years old, that’s what we were told. But we’ll hopefully find a better answer to that question once the vet looks at his teeth.”

For Dr. Clare Panning, a traveling veterinarian, she knows a lot about horses’ teeth.

“Horses have teeth that grow continuously throughout their lifetime, unlike human teeth which grow to a specific length and stop. This can cause abnormalities to develop within the mouth with may cause obvious issues like weight loss, dropping feed while eating, or sensitivity to the bit,” she explained.

Out of Gillette, Wyoming, Panning runs her own mobile practice, Intermountain Equine Veterinary Services that operates in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota.

In addition to equine dentistry, Panning also specializes in chiropractic adjustments on horses. Year round she travels across Montana and the surrounding states checking teeth and straightening big backs. This was her first time hosting a clinic in Mineral County.

Panning said, “Lisa Jones saw an advertisement I put up and organized to get a group of horses together for dentals and adjustments. We do these dental and adjustment “parties” across Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota.”

Superior resident Lisa Jones boards her horse at N Lazy J Arena and volunteers there as much as possible. Helping to arrange the clinic she expressed, “The opportunity to have a veterinarian come to the area and offer these services, especially for those with busy schedules or no transportation for their horses. It’s just me being kind to others and trying to meet a need.”

Each dental checkup includes a physical exam to make sure the patient is safe for sedation, then the horse is sedated, the mouth is rinsed with water to remove any feed debris, then an oral exam is performed.

Panning detailed, “The oral exam is similar to when you go to the dentist, we use a dental mirror, much larger than the one used for humans!” She added, “We’ll use a pick to explore the areas between each tooth and each pulp horn. We assess the mouth for any changes that need corrected such as sharp points, hooks, steps, waves or transverse ridges and determine if any teeth should be removed.”

A routine dental exam takes about 25 minutes however extractions can take several hours and can be quite complex depending on the tooth. With nearly a dozen horses to see Sunday morning, Dr. Panning started at 7 a.m. and went til about noon. Her dental equipment is quite impressive, with the oversized oral mirrors and picks, hoses for rinsing, and various drills with attachments and lights.

Even more fascinating than horse dentistry is the skills and knowledge to perform chiropractic adjustments on these large hardworking animals.

Panning shared, “An adjustment for a horse is a similar experience as to when people go to the chiropractor. Each bone is palpated, or touched, and asked to move in a specific direction according to the body’s normal anatomy. We feel the bones to assess where we should make the adjustment. If the bone doesn’t move as it should, we adjust, and palpate again to see if the bone now moves correctly.”

Through these small movements and skeletal corrections, a horse’s mobility and performance can be improved tremendously.

“It’s quite incredible to see how an adjustment can help a horse who hasn’t been taking the correct lead or an older horse who hasn’t trotted in the past year completely change how they travel,” noted Panning.

Surprisingly the adjustments are not that strenuous on Panning. They require such a small fast force to adjust even a large horse.

She described, “The Line of Drive is perhaps one of the most important parts of protecting my own body from being hurt during the adjustment. For example, when adjusting parts of the spine or pelvis, it is important for me to get my force traveling the right direction.”

She continued, “If I were needing to adjust in a downward motion on the back, it would be important to get above the area I am adjusting by standing on a large two-foot-tall block. If I were to make this adjustment from the ground, with my hands above my shoulders, and press down, you can imagine I may need to visit the chiropractor for the pain I would develop in my spine.”

For most horse owners bringing their animals in for dental checkups and adjustments is just part of annual care. Panning mentioned, “We also get many clients who may have never had their older horses’ teeth checked. We try to educate everyone on the importance of dental checks due to the fact horse’s teeth continuously grow, and also the importance of adjustments when keeping an athlete at top performance.”

During Mr. Ed’s dental checkup with Dr. Panning, Nichole and Shawna learned that he might be a little older than they thought. Panning stated, “I’d say he’s at least 15, but probably leaning closer to 20 years old.” For Nichole’ mother Shawna, this was a little disappointing to hear. “I’m sad cause it means he might not be around as long as we’d hoped.”

But for now, the old gray boy will get to spend his golden years with youthful riders that fit right in with his spunky personality.

Once Dr. Panning finished up at the arena in St. Regis, it was off to Superior for a quick appointment and then Deer Lodge for the afternoon.

She reported that she’d have to be back home in Wyoming by Monday morning to work at her local clinic. A servant’s work is never done, and being a traveling vet is a special job that logs the hours, miles, and nuzzles.

That’s straight from the horse’s mouth.