Learning Center · Health & Grooming

Should I get my horse's teeth checked before winter hay?

Fall dental checks belong before the switch to winter hay, because that's when the extra chewing demand starts.

By The Schneiders Product Team · Updated September 29, 2026
3 minute read · Reviewed against our current catalog

The short answer

before, not after. A horse moving off grass and onto a hay-based winter ration is being asked to chew a lot more long-stem forage every single day, and dental problems that were manageable on pasture show up fast once that chewing load increases, usually as dropped feed, slow weight loss, and poor condition right when the weather turns hardest on a horse's system.

Why the switch to hay changes the chewing job What untreated dental problems look like How this fits into fall condition tracking

Start here

Why the switch to hay changes the chewing job

Grass is soft and moisture-rich, and a horse grazing it takes small bites almost continuously. Hay is drier and coarser, and it has to be chewed into a fine, moist bolus before it's safe to swallow, which means far more grinding cycles per pound of forage. A mouth with sharp enamel points, a loose tooth, or an uneven bite can keep up with grass and still fall behind on hay, because the workload itself has gone up.

That's why the timing matters more than it looks. Waiting until a horse is already dropping feed or losing weight means the problem has been building for weeks, and by then you're troubleshooting a symptom instead of preventing it.

How it works

What untreated dental problems look like

The early signs are easy to miss because they look like other things: quidding (dropping half-chewed wads of hay), slower eating, tilting the head to one side while chewing, or grain left in the bottom of the bucket. Left alone through a full winter, your horse is effectively getting less nutrition out of the same hay, which is a hard deficit to make up in cold weather when maintenance energy needs are already higher.

This is also why teeth are one of the first things worth ruling out any time a horse starts losing weight or condition for no obvious reason, alongside parasite load and the ration itself. A dental exam is a quick way to cross one possibility off the list before spending weeks adjusting feed.

What that means for you

How this fits into fall condition tracking

Autumn is already the season for photographing body condition monthly and getting ahead of winter weight loss. A dental check belongs on that same list, done before the hay-only stretch begins rather than partway through it. How often a horse needs checking varies with age and dental history, so let your vet or equine dentist set the interval that fits yours rather than defaulting to once a year for every horse in the barn.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How often should a horse's teeth be checked in the fall?

It depends on age and history rather than a fixed rule. Younger and older horses, and any horse with a known dental issue, often need checking twice a year, while a healthy adult may only need an annual visit. Your vet or equine dentist can set an interval based on what they find at the last exam.

What are signs my horse needs a dental check before winter?

Watch for dropped feed or hay wads (quidding), slower eating, grain left uneaten, tilting the head while chewing, or unexplained weight loss. Any of these is worth a call rather than waiting, especially as the ration shifts toward more hay.

Can dental problems cause weight loss in winter?

Yes. A horse that can't chew hay efficiently gets less usable nutrition from the same amount of forage, and that gap widens over a winter of higher energy needs. Teeth are one of the first things to rule out when weight loss shows up with no other obvious cause.

Does a fall dental check replace regular checkups the rest of the year?

No, it's a seasonal addition to whatever schedule your vet or dentist already has you on, timed to catch problems before the chewing demand increases with a hay-based diet. It doesn't change how often ongoing dental issues need monitoring the rest of the year.