How Horses Became Home
My relationship with horses started at five years old, when my older brother lifted me onto a friend’s horse for the first time. I still remember the feeling — big, alive, safe, electric. From that moment, I was hooked.
I grew up in a farm-style town where horses were part of everyday life. Friends had horses. Relatives had horses. Wherever horses were, I was close behind.
Riding turned into horse camps, and horse camps turned into becoming a wrangler. My entire youth was shaped by animals that made the world feel steadier and more magical.
There has never been a time in my life when horses didn’t light me up.
The Question That Changed Everything
In my mid-20s, I was working a 9-to-5 job, deeply unhappy and disconnected from what made me feel alive. A close friend asked me a simple question:
“What used to make you happy?”
My answer came instantly: Horses.
That was the beginning of a massive pivot. I started asking myself how I could work with horses every day — not as a hobby, but as a contribution. How could I give back to the animals that gave me so much comfort growing up?
That question led me straight to equine dentistry.
Equine Dental School & A New Calling
In 2012, I applied to equine dental school, was accepted, and moved onto a working dude ranch in Craig Colorado where I worked on hundreds of horses with a class of 12 students while learning the craft.
I started with power tools — because that’s how the traditional system is built. But very quickly, I saw how much damage could be done in seconds. It didn’t sit right with me. I wasn’t interested in speed for human convenience. I wanted safety, patience, and respect.
That’s when I committed to mastering hand-floating — the craft of correcting a horse’s mouth with feel, precision, and an understanding of how the body adapts over time. For a non-veterinary practitioner, hand floating is more ethical, more sustainable, and more horse-centered.
It became my method, my mission, and my philosophy.
Learning the Craft — Slowly, Carefully, Respectfully
After school, I completed a six-month internship with an equine dentist, getting real-world hours under a skilled hand. When the internship ended, I didn’t rush into business. I did a tremendous amount of work for free — simply to get good at the craft, to learn the feedback from horses, and to build technical confidence.
Over time, horse owners started noticing changes:
improved eating
calmer responses
reduced resistance
happier expression
better comfort
Their feedback — not my ego — told me I was ready to charge.
I started part-time. It grew on its own. And now, more than a decade later, I’m still obsessed with this work.
Why I Still Love This Work
Today, I float horses for a living because I want every animal I touch to feel better than before I arrived. Horses gave me joy when I was young — and this is my way of giving something back.
Every horse I meet, I fall a little in love with.
If I can restore comfort, function, and confidence in the mouth, that’s the win.
Beyond Domestic Horses — Exotic Dentistry
My work has expanded beyond barns and backyard paddocks. I now provide exotic dental services for two New England zoos, working on ponies, equines, and specialized exotic species that require a calm, non-force approach.
It’s the same mission, just a wider circle:
protect comfort, minimize fear, and respect how the body adapts.
What I Believe
Dentistry should protect the nervous system.
Progress should be incremental, not traumatic.
Horses deserve cooperation, not restraint.
Owners deserve education, not confusion.
Every mouth tells a story — our job is to listen.
This isn’t just a service.
It’s a relationship — horse, human, and practitioner.
What I Stand For
If I can make a horse’s mouth better than how I found it, I’ve done my job.
If I can make a horse feel safer in the process, I’ve done my calling.