Clean teeth - Oral hygiene can be just as important for horses as it is for people. Despite being herbivores, horses' teeth can still suffer from a build up of plaque and tartar, which in turn can lead to inflammation and infection and eventually tooth loss. Plaque is made up of bacteria, cells and food deposits that build on the teeth.
If it is not scraped away it becomes a very hard substance called tartar. Tartar provides a rough surface that encourages bacteria to grow and more plaque to develop. Remnants of food, especially sweet sticky ingredients such as molasses which is found in many compound feeds, can remain lodged in cavities in the mouth and become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Fresh breath - Horses, being herbivores, have a slightly sweet aromatic breath. Any infection in the mouth, especially of the teeth, will result in a bad odour or breath.

Saliva production - The horse has three pairs of salivary glands. Horses produce saliva in response to mastication and therefore adequate chewing time is required for adequate saliva production. Saliva is a clear alkaline fluid which contains a digestive enzyme - ptyalin. This aids the first step of digestion, converting starch to maltose and dextrose. Saliva also helps lubricate the passage of food through the digestive tract, playing a central role in gastric buffering and electrolyte balance.