The world of equine dentistry is changing fast. Traditional equine dentists once only felt pressure from vets to leave their "turf" alone.  Now we still receive that pressure from some vets, but also from newly certified equine dental techs who feel they have superior skills,  training and instrumentation. I'm afraid what these new dentists don't understand is it's more than passing tests and memorizing teeth.  It's the practical application of these procedures in the field on hundreds and even thousands of horses that counts.  Hand floats have proven safe, reliable and effective  when used for floating teeth.  Power tools are great for wood, but anyone who has ever clipped a horse knows that most horses don't enjoys the sight and sounds of power tools.  Consequently drugs are almost always needed to float a horses teeth with power tools.  This isn't safe, smart, or practical. LAY DENTISTS CAN NOT DRUG HORSES LEGALLY.  We have proven that we can win the right to practice the tradition of floating teeth with hand floats where sedation is rarely needed. I believe this course holds the greatest promise for the future of this trade.  It also gives the horse owning public another  independent,  professional to aid in the care of their horse.   Those who drug their patients and turn on the power will never have that joyful moment when their patient  relaxes because they understand you're there to help. When they soften and almost say with their eyes,  "finally someone to ease my pain".