| Lawrence Moriarity started floating teeth as a 4-H project in 1958, winning the New York State Light Horse Championship for the year with his “Care of the Horse’s Teeth” project. Floating teeth as a favor with his father for the next ten years, he started getting paid to float teeth on the pro rodeo circuit in Chicago, November, 1968 and then full time at the Pompano Park Harness Track in the fall of 1970.
That fall Larry figured out in about 30 days of working on young horses, what is now the “Moriarity Cap Shedding Table” and passed it on to whoever was interested, in order to help more horses. In the mid 70’s he discovered the “Moriarity Incisor Reduction” in order to re-establish molar contact for horses that were dropping feed, which has proven out to be the most important procedure for proper equine dentistry today
Using the antique dental tools and instrumentation, Larry taught and demonstrated at several veterinary schools and conferences teaching the most advanced dentistry of the time, which was primitive by today’s standards, cutting and rasping the incisors only. This allowed the horses to wear off their own excessive molar enamel, with the exception of hooks and reducing excessive individual teeth.
Motorized instrumentation being much more thorough, has taken equine dentistry to a much higher level, freeing up A-P movement and then re-establishing proper occlusion. Developing equine dentistry to the sophisticated profession of today has helped make it more appealing for veterinarians. Many thanks go out to Kristen Wilewski, DVM, M/EqD, Rockford, Illinois, for her contributions to the motorized technology.
Larry started lecturing in 1978 at the “Horseman’s Symposium” at the Cornell University Veterinary College and twice more for the EP Student Chapter; three times for the equine students at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania; one time for the veterinarians of the Delaware Equine Center, Cochranville, Pa; one time for the veterinarians at the York ( Pa) Veterinary Conference; the 2d veterinary class of Virginia Tech, the South Carolina Veterinary Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC; twice for Dr. Poagh Reed, DVM, agricultural advisor for Clemson University; three clinics at Texas A&M Veterinary School and a two day seminar and wet lab at the veterinary school, University of Florida. In 2005, Larry put on a 4 day clinic for 39 veterinarians at the veterinary school, Guadalajara, Mexico and is the “honorary” president of the “Association of Equine Veterinary Dentists of Mexico” and has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
Larry was not only a charter member, but lectured at the first meeting of the IAEDT (International Association of Equine Dental Technicians) in 1987. He then co-founded the WWAED (World Wide Association of Equine Dentistry) where he was instrumental in starting the first certification program for equine dentists and veterinarians in 1991. Larry started the FLAED (Florida Association of Equine Dentistry) in 1997 and was program and certification director till the merger with the IAEDT forming the IAED (International Association of Equine Dentistry) where he remained the certification and program director for two more years.
Larry hosts the “FLORIDA-NATIONAL” equine dental seminars in order to help those that are inexperienced or professionals that wish to improve their equine dentistry with their number one concern, to benefit the HORSE.
|
