ABOUT SIMON ROUGHAN

Simon Roughan has a strong background in working with animals, hands on. His formative years were spent working on farms, shearing and shepherding throughout New Zealand.
This was followed by several years working as a professional horse trainer, starting hundreds of
horses under saddle both in New Zealand and the USA.
Simon also rides competitive dressage horses and has developed a sound knowledge in equitation. By combining a dedicated study in equine gnathology with a solid foundation in horsemanship, Simon offers top quality dentistry treatment that horses respond well to. Simon works alongside veterinarians with sedation only if major work is required, but for the most part likes to work on horses unsedated.

PHILOSOPHY

Good horse dentistry should maintain pain free function through on going preventative maintenance and equilabration. Establishing 3-point harmony of incisor batteries, molar batteries and tempomandibular joint is key. Efficient mastication, or chewing, not only means better feed utilization, but intestinal trouble is minimised.
Performance can be improved through properly installed bit seats by providing comfort, tongue relief and improved air flow. Maintaining anterior/posterior and lateral movement of the mandible (jaw) helps to aid  in the flexion at the poll and in collection.
Grazing conditions where a horse is not required to use his incisors or does not get normal incisor wear can lead to a lack of functional molar occlusion over time. Examples of these ‘unnatural’ grazing conditions are the feeding of processed grain and hay, feeding lush green grass all year round and feeding horses high in hay nets.
As you can see these are all common ways we now feed our horses. Hence the need for regular dental treatment to improve the health, happines, safety and longevity of our equine companions.

TESTIMONIALS

Simon Roughan has been working at NZPH (New Zealand Performance Horses) for the last three years on our two-year olds through to our competition horses. He is punctual, polite and his work is of an extremely high standard. The horses are calm with Simon and he often does not need sedation to work on their teeth. We would highly recommend Simon to anyone who is looking for an Equine Dentist.

New Zealand Performance Horses

With 60 horses of various breeds, we struggled to find a dentist who does the horses teeth to a high standard. Simon has exceeded all expectations. He handles even the more difficult horses well and calms them using natural horsemanship methods usually without sedation. Simon has also completed the sitewise assessment demonstrating that he's good and safe -  a requirement to comply with the Ngāi Tahu Tourism Health and Safety policy.

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Dart Stables

We run over 60 horses on the station, breeding horses for work and showing. Simon has worked on all of our Clydesdale horses, from foals to old fellas, for the last 4 years. Because he handles horses well, they are calm and happy to have him work on them. We highly recommend Simon as a dentist and a horseman.

Erewhon Station

I have been starting and training horses for over 20 years. What I admire about Simon Roughan is that he has continually trained and upskilled as a dentist and a horseman. How he handles and relaxes a horse, while treating it, is equally important to me as his expertise in dentistry.

Steve Houston - Horseman

I was trialling a new 4-year old horse and it was tossing it's head around so I called in Simon. He removed extremely sharp points and a 'blind wolf tooth' which was causing the horse pain. The next week Simon rode him for me just to check it wasn't handling issues and he went on the bit beautifully.

Sue Worthington - Rider

SERVICES