Why should I schedule a craniosacral session for my horse immediately after a dentistry?
Throughout the life of the horse, teeth continue to erupt and wearing patterns such as ridges, points and angles are a reflection of imbalances in the cranial bones and elsewhere in the body. As the teeth are brought back into balance by equine dental work, the underlying cause/s of the imbalance are not likely addressed. Though the horse will be freer to chew temporarily, eventually the pattern of imbalance will recreate itself, and newly formed ridges and points will be created by restrictions already existing within the mandible (lower jaw), cranial bones and tissues. Points and ridges then dictate lack of movement in the jaw and the rest of the cranium, including muscle tension and TMJ issues.
It is imperative that the horse receives CS work after dentistry to not only release the horse from repeating the original pattern, breaking the cycle of incorrect wear and further restriction, but also to bring the whole horse into better balance throughout the body. The lower jaw or mandible is the greatest pattern setter throughout the body. Restriction in the cranial bones will cause imbalances throughout the body and be reflected in the imbalance in the teeth. Furthermore, once the teeth begin to wear incorrectly, it becomes increasingly more difficult to balance the entire body. I recommend regular monitoring of your horse’s mouth by a person trained in equine dentistry; it has been my experience that the use of power tools and sedation is necessary for the precision required in this work. If you follow-up with a CS session and allow your horse to eat with his head down, access to pasture and loose salt, you may find your horse maintaining freer and fuller movement in the jaw and throughout the body, needing frequent dental work. This has been my experience as my own three horses have required no dental work in the last several years.