When you think of dentistry, you probably don’t think it applies to your favorite horse or a world champion bucking bull. ABBI breeder Joshua Chavez is out to change the way people care for their animal athletes.

Chavez’s love of rodeo livestock started when he began riding steers at 8 years of age. He rode his first bull in a junior rodeo when he was 11 and turned pro after getting his PRCA card at 18. Bull riding put him through college on a full scholarship but after enough buckoffs, his interest moved more toward breeding rather than riding.

Chavez started by buying a couple of cows off Marty Foutch. Chavez prefers Plummer bloodlines. “My herd sire is a grandson of Rooster from Ronnie Roach on the sire side and Chaos on the dam side” he stated. “We are a not so ‘rancho grande’ at this moment, but we’re getting bigger one step at a time. And we’re always looking for more bloodlines to enhance our program.” Chavez is starting out slow and saves to buy everything he’s got. “It takes us a little longer because we have to plan for our purchases and put money away to afford them,”admited Chavez. “I’d like to eventually take some bulls to the PBR or get a couple into the Cups, but I don’t need my name up there. If any of the big boys see one of my bulls and wants to buy him, I’d be happy to sell him. I just want to be proud of what I’m raising.”

Chavez became a believer in equine dentistry when he noticed one of his horses wasn’t eating well and kept tossing his head. He was going to take him to the vet when his wife of 12 years, Jennifer, suggested he call a friend from college who specialized in equine dentistry.

“I’m from the old school where you take them to the vet when they need care, not to a dentist,” related Chavez. But his wife persevered. Their friend came over, worked on the horse and shortly thereafter Chavez noticed a major improvement. The horse started processing his feed much better, so he didn’t have to feed him as much. Chavez also noticed that he responded to the bit better.

From that moment on, Chavez knew there was a significant part of livestock care that was generally overlooked, so he did some research and found the Texas School of Equine Dentistry.

“They teach you why you work on a horse’s mouth and what to look for,” explained Chavez. “Many of the overall health issues will start in a horse’s mouth.”

Chavez quickly learned that dentistry also works hand-in-hand with chiropractic care. “When a horse’s back or neck is out of line, many times the issue starts because their teeth are unbalanced which puts pressure on the TMJ joint—which makes the muscles surrounding that joint get sore and tight and the problem moves down and affects the neck and back,” said Chavez. “Horse chiropractors will usually ask if they have had a dentist look at the mouth first. If not, the horse will usually need to come back much sooner than they should.”

“Dentistry problems occur because of things we humans do to our animals. We feed them on the fence or in a pen rather than on the ground. We put horses in stables and place their feed high, rather than allowing them to graze on a pasture where they cut their feed themselves, which is a natural motion.” —Joshua Chavez

The basic principles apply to the bucking bull industry as well. The value of these bucking athletes and their genetics continues to rise and their lifespan is increasing, so it makes sense to add chiropractic care and dentistry to their overall program.

Stated Chavez, “Dentistry problems occur because of things we humans do to our animals. We feed them on the fence or in a pen rather than on the ground. We put horses in stables and place their feed high, rather than allowing them to graze on a pasture where they cut their feed themselves, which is a natural motion.”

The same issues occur with rodeo livestock when they’re being hauled to events. They travel, eat, and sometimes sleep on a trailer. When livestock are able to eat as close to the ground as possible their muscles are stretched along their neck and back— and the bottom jaw moves forward which allows the teeth to wear evenly. When we feed livestock higher than that we diminish that necessary motion. The bottom line is when an animals’ mouth is balanced, they eat better and perform better.

As Chavez finishes up his education, he looks forward to working on bucking bulls as well as horses. “There aren’t too many bucking bull dentists,” he explained, “and this way I’ll be able to ensure the dental health of my own herd—and hopefully help other breeders as well.”