Nathan, all true of course. They are fighting to get it changed in many states. What you may not be taking into consideration - and I can only really speak for Texas, since I don't know the specifics in other states - is that here they have not changed the law for nearly 100 years, merely the Vet Boards interpretation of that law. Equine dentists have been practicing LEGALLY here for years, only to suddenly have the rug jerked out from under them because someone who doesn't really understand the ramifications of his actions decided that only vets - with much less dental training - were competent to do the work.
You are fortunate to have so many skilled vets near you. Many are not. You know that a majority of vets do not receive in depth dental training, would you have someone in Texas or Montana or wherever use a vet with no specialty training & perhaps no real interest in doing teeth, over a non-vet with training, tools and years of professional experience? Again, common sense comes in to play and I don't think you would. I know of only one or two vets in my area- one in particular - who specialize in equine dental work. She's great, I use her for my big horses - but she's also 2 or 3 times the price, and uses heavy sedation I find unnecessary in the majority of minis. Common sense is looking better and better.
No one is judging the way you manage your horses, but you might cut the rest of us a little slack.
Jan
OH!
