Doctor, Dentist To Visit Horses In Mercer County This Weekend

The horse doctor, dentist and shoer will make their rounds at Howell Living History Farm on Saturday, March 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors will see some of the tools, techniques and products that relate to horse care as it was practiced during the farm’s 1890-1910 time period.

They will also be able to meet a veterinarian, an equine dentist and a farrier, and even try their own hand at a bit of horse doctoring.

At 11 a.m., visitors can watch the horse doctor give spring shots and worming medicine to the farm’s draft horses.

At 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., they can see a horse dentist float a horse's teeth. This process files down sharp points that can develop on a horse’s molars.

In the afternoon, visitors can watch farmers weigh animals as part of their spring health check, and see how a farrier trims and puts shoes on horses’ feet.

Throughout the day, kids will be able to listen to a horse’s heart through an antique stethoscope and learn how to determine the age of a horse by examining its teeth. Parking and admission are free.

Howell Farm is owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission. The GPS location is 70 Wooden's Lane, Hopewell Township, NJ 08530. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, call the farm office at 609-737-3299 or visit www.howellfarm.org or www.mercercountyparks.org.

The attached image was provided by Mercer County: Visitors at Howell Living History Farm watch the doctor float a horse’s teeth.