The Horsemanship Dentistry School – Student Testimonials

[su_quote cite="Kath Rochford"]G'day Geoff, I did enjoy the short course (Module 1), thank you.

I have nothing to complain about. The short course was clear and easy to follow. The login hiccup at the beginning you covered very well with your fast response, thank you 🙂

I really like your style and I like that you have stepped up and put your ideas forward. Many years ago I discovered bare foot trimming and the principles behind it ignited a passion in me regarding hoof care and your work has done the same in regards to teeth. Very refreshing.

We have fought a similar battle with body work over the years with everyone needing a gadget or machine to feel they have a credible result. I too believe you will never replace the hands and the contact. You call it the connection; we call it the language and it's an immediate and understanding communication.

Great stuff Geoff, thank you
Kind regards,[/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="Debra Tibbitts, DVM"]November, 2014 - #1 - The school taught me how to meld what I'm already doing with holistic techniques such as bodywork, chiropractic and acupuncture with dentistry that is also holistic in addressing the horse's mind, body and emotions. Though it is definitely hard work it is also fun and rewarding and a natural fit into what I was already offering on the holistic front. Though I had been using sedation dentistry, power tools and hydraulic ergonomic portable stocks it has been a smooth transition to the horsemanship style dentistry thanks to the teaching, guidance and encouragement that Dr. Tucker has provided.

Clients have been excited about the change and my client base has grown since finishing the course and announcing the offering of horsemanship dentistry to clients. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

I now number Dr. Tucker amongst my mentors that have taught and changed me for the better. I am forever grateful for his courage to step out and challenge the status quo with truth and integrity.

November, 2014 - #2 - Well I have definitely benefited from your experience, teaching ability and encouragement/mentoring.[/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="Jenniffer Longwell"]Thank you very much...your confidence is contagious...i am doing my best and I'm sure I'm not doing 100% yet but I'm giving it my all...i have seen the feedback from the horses...the hanging heads and licking lips...the quivering noise and is amazing to feel so helpful...I know that I still need to develop my personal technique but i feel very confident that i am doing the best...I keep checking until i feel like I have gotten the burrs and razor edges off...and with each horse i feel a little more confident and like I'm really making a difference for the horse...I'm still waiting to find something wrong in a mouth other than sharpness or unopposed growth but to date i haven't found anything more than a gap in the incisors 401-301 that seemed to have been caused by a previously retained deciduous tooth...I am really enjoying it too...so far i have been taking notes on which teeth are sharpest as well as age and breed...name too.[/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="John Smith"]Hello. My name is John. I’m a student in Doctor Tucker´s School Of Equine Dentistry.

I’ve worked with Standardbred race horses since I was 18 years old, over 40 years now. I’m a certified licensed trainer of Standardbred race horses in Canada and I´m currently working on some horses in our home in the Dominican Republic.

The teachings that Doctor Tucker has brought to this school are outstanding. Along with these teachings come numerous detailed and descriptive photos, as well as teaching videos and an online classroom allowing students to share experiences as well as being able to ask Doctor Tucker questions pertaining to equine dentistry.

All of this leads to learning to apply the “The Tucker Technique Of Equine Dentistry” to the horse. In my opinion this is a world class caliber school.

What I am learning has brought my horsemanship skills to a whole new level through teachings such as ´The 10 Irrefutable Laws Of Horsemanship´as it pertains to equine dentistry. Creating a two way communication connection by SEEKING FIRST TO UNDERSTAND.....AND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

I am so glad I chose this school and I hope you will consider it as well.[/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="Amanda"]I was sick to my stomach Tuesday evening, the evening before my practical was starting. I knew I passed the exam but I had planned to re-read the entire contents of the school between my exam and the practical. This did not happen. I was so worried I’d be asked questions that I wouldn’t be able to answer during the three days and especially on day 1 during the 8am to 11am segment of the practical. I went to bed with a feeling of anxiety and anticipation.

Day 1: We met in Dr. Tucker’s lovely barn. I had butterflies in my stomach and an overall worried feeling. We chatted from 8am to 11am. It was basically a review and it turned out fine. Melissa and Dr. Tucker did a great job and my tension was easing. The information that I had stored in my brain was emerging as I had hoped. We followed an outline for the most part and Melissa was very good at steering us back on track so we could be sure to finish everything before 11am. We had lunch next and then went to a farm where I palpated several horses before and after the floats. I was asked to grade the sharpness and note if there were ulcers. While I have palpated my own horses and the horses in my barn, doing it on completely unknown horses and in amazingly beautiful farms in Wellington proved that I need work on releasing my energy in any situation. I managed to exit a horse’s mouth incorrectly and got chomped across my whole left hand. Oops. After this we went back to Dr. Tucker’s barn where I had my first victim waiting, oops I mean patient. Melissa graciously brought one of her horses for me to work on. He was amazing. I was not. Prior to the practical I had palpated my horse’s mouths several times and sat in front of my computer with my wooden spoon going through the motions. This didn’t prove to be adequate preparation for me. I thought the process of Equine Dentistry would be easier, not less work, but I didn’t consider that I would barely even be able to do a basic stoke of the float in a well behaved horse’s mouth. I had all kinds of trouble finding the horses teeth, and when I did, putting the blade where it belonged was still a challenge. Melissa’s horse was so cooperative. He was not drugged at all and he let me fumble around in his mouth. That was the most disappointing part. Here was this great horse, barely moving, and I could hardly find his teeth to make a pass with the float. I did have a few decent strokes and my arms were very fatigued. I left around 5:00 and was a bit discouraged. I was discouraged with myself, not Doc T or Melissa; they tried so hard to get me on track. They kept calm and cool and were patient and encouraging. I went to bed hoping my left hand would function the next day.

Day 2: Thankfully my hand was not as painful or stiff as I thought it would be. I met Melissa and Doc T at his barn and set out for another horse for me to float. The horse was sedated and the super nice owner left us to do our work. Again I struggled. I struggled at remembering where to stand. I struggled with my stiff body and uncontrolled energy. I struggled with implementing the techniques I learned. I struggled with my own self doubts. I managed to make a couple of good passes with the float but I still was nowhere close to being competent. Melissa and Doc T finished up and left that horse’s mouth in tip top shape. From there we went on more of their regular calls where I palpated the mouths of many more horses. I got to experience how some horse owners disrespect the horse dentist. One owner actually made Doc T wait a half hour until she was done riding. Unbelievable! At that same barn I watched as Doc T removed some difficult wolf teeth and pulled rubber balls out of the ears of these treasured horses. At another barn, I got to palpate a horse with a fractured tooth that had the fractured area removed and the remaining edges smoothed the past week. I cleaned out the impacted hay and got to experience the Fermentation malodor on my fingers for the rest of the dayJ. We went back to Doc T’s barn where Melissa had another one of her horses waiting for me. He was a good boy but we did end up sedating him so I could really try to get in there and make some progress. I made a few good passes with the float but still struggled a lot with placement and fatigue. They brought out the skull and held it up to better visualize the teeth. They tried to help me in every way that they could. I made some progress but still didn’t come near to doing a complete float from beginning to end. I left with a feeling of defeat. I wanted to skip my third day and go home to the comfort of my family. I wanted to quit… well, I really didn’t want to quit, I wanted to postpone. I wanted to go home, think things through, review the course work, order my equipment, and attempt to float my own horse’s teeth. I really didn’t think another day was going to make a difference at this point.

Day 3: I stuck around. I didn’t run off home. I could have. It’s just over a 2 hour drive to get home. I didn’t do it though. I’d like to say it’s because I conquered my fear of failing, my doubts, and my frustration, but really I didn’t run off home or ask to postpone because I didn’t want to be a quitter and I didn’t want to inconvenience Doc T and Melissa. I knew they had scheduled 2 more horses for me to float so I tried to muster up some confidence, clear my head of all of its swirling nonsense, and remember that these experiences could only help. So, off to the first barn where my next patient was waiting. It went like the rest. I made some good passes and some bad passes with the Long Float. I never had much success with the Shorty and the rounding of the 6’s. I don’t think I even held the Skinny just because my arms were fatigued well before it was time for the Skinny. We went on some more calls and I palpated more mouths. We drove quite a distance to get to the last barn where my final patient was waiting. It was a Polopony farm. Not well kept. Only one farm hand was around. Unclean stalls. Run down compared to the other farms we’d been to. I felt comfortable there plus it was my last one and I knew I’d be driving on home to my life when I was done. There were 4 horses to float. We were warned one was a biter. They chose the biter for me. We didn’t sedate her. She stood nicely. Never made a move to bite me thankfully but I had to be very aware the whole time and watch for it. I dug as deep as I could within myself knowing this was my last shot and ended up having my most success with her. I was glad to be leaving on a better note.

Doc T and Melissa were amazing. They are excellent teachers. They are so patient and encouraging. They never gave up on me. They wanted me to succeed. I’m not sure why I had so much trouble. Maybe it was the high expectations I had for myself, the shock of not “getting it”, and the fear of failing. Some of it was that I am not as physically strong as I thought I was and some strength and endurance is needed to wield those instruments around. I went into this expecting I’d be leaving my practical as a competent Equine Dentist. I don’t feel I am anywhere near ready to go work on other people’s horses but I am ready to practice on my own. I personally would never have felt comfortable enough to put a Float in my horse’s mouth without this practical experience. The 3 days were an emotionally and physically tough journey but it was an important journey for me to go on. I am glad I did.[/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="Wendy Curry"]About nine years ago I took two young horses to a vet-dentist. Stocks..drugs..head tied up...power tools... My horses freaked out halfway through the process and got out of the stocks and before I could get the rope was staggering across a 5-lane highway. To say the least I was scared to dead and calmly got him off the road. Lucky only a few cuts.. I have been scared to put any horse through that again.. I personally don't like drugs for horses or us unless totally needed.

Just had to give you a big Thank You for your online program. As I told you I had a bad experience with my horse years back being floated the modern way... 😉 so I have not had any teeth work done for years. I hate to say I can't tell you when I had my 20 year old was done last. But he doesn't miss any feed... But has lost a lot of his top line since winter.

Well wanting to take some of the new information I have learned to hands on for a better understanding I grabbed my old gelding. Note I had watched a few videos yesterday first of you and Melissa. Well I was a little surprised somewhat to find two large wholes in his bottom lip from teeth #403 & 303. With some old cheaper floats we’ve had for years I took off the sharp edges. He was a good student letting me check the rest of his teeth. yep cheek teeth lateral sides all need floated. Attaching the photo.

Plus sold an 8yrs gelding last night for a client I've been working at my place... Buyers asked about floating history on him...I had no history... and wondered if he had his wolf teeth.. A week ago I would not have been able to answers her... lol. But being a great young horse and your training though the videos and a little practice with my older horse earlier I felt confident to check. I felt none at this time and the 6's felt good too.

Thank you for give us the great tool of online learning.

So excited to continue learning and working to help horses....

Sincerely [/su_quote]

[su_quote cite="Chloe Hatch"]May, 2016 - Before attending the Horsemanship Dentistry School I had been a client of Dr. Tucker and Melissa for about six years. I was impressed by the communication with the horses that horsemanship dentistry is based upon. I was immediately interested when I found out about the Horsemanship Dentistry School.

The coursework and practical training week by far exceeded my expectations. Dr. Tucker and Melissa are excellent teachers and mentors because they are knowledgeable and passionate.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone seeking to become educated in floating horses using horsemanship and leadership skills.
[/su_quote]