164 VETERINARY DENTAL SURGERY. 



if the horse carries his head towards the right side, 

 cut the tooth on the left side and vice versa. This 

 removes the bearing and the head will then be car- 

 ried in a natural position. 



I usually place the cutters close to the gums of 

 the lower molar on which I wish to operate and then 

 cut backwards and upwards. The amount of tooth 

 which I remove depends upon the age of the animal 

 and the persistence with which he throws his head 

 to one side. 



In using the cutter place them squarely upon the 

 tooth and cut it off without shifting or twisting 

 them. By so doing you will avoid fracturing the 

 tooth, which sometimes does occur if the forceps are 

 worked from side to side. 



It is claimed that sharp points with other irregu- 

 larities of the teeth cause a horse to shy. I will say 

 that as far as my experience extends, I have never 

 been able to trace a single case of shying to such 

 conditions, neither have I ever stopped shying by 

 operating on the teeth, unless the horse was a "side 

 puller." It has been my experience that when such 

 horses shy it always is from an object towards which 

 the horse turns his head (i. e., if a horse turns his 

 head towards the right he shies away from an object 

 on the right). I have had three such horses as 

 drivers, and they invariably shied in the same direc- 

 tion, and that as above described. 



