Oklahoma equine dentist law has teeth
Supporters rise up after rodeo star is accused of working on horse without license
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Published: March 15, 2009
Well-known Oklahoma rodeo star Bobby Griswold is complaining a new law is absurd after his arrest on complaints of doing illegal dental work on a horse.
Bobby Griswold The saddle bronc rider was arrested on complaints of doing illegal dental work on a horse.
Multimedia
His arrest has caused an uproar in the state horse industry, with his supporters contacting legislators to try to get the law repealed. Some are listening.
"It’s a big mistake,” said Rep. Charles Key, R-
Oklahoma City. "We need to fix that because it’s way too harsh.”
Griswold, 40, of Geary, is one of the nation’s top professional saddle bronc riders. He finished the 2008 season at the
National Finals Rodeo in December. As a second job, he works as a trained equine dentist.
On March 4, the cowboy became the first person in Oklahoma arrested under a new law that makes it a felony to do dental work on horses without a veterinary license. Before Nov. 1, a violation of the law had been a misdemeanor.
Griswold was arrested after meeting with an undercover state investigator in the parking lot of an Oklahoma City convenience store, officials said.
Griswold then injected a horse and performed dental work, reported the investigator for the
Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. He has not been formally charged and is free on bail.
Officials said they acted after getting a complaint. Officials said Griswold had been warned four times by letter to stop.
In a statement, Griswold said he is preparing a vigorous defense.
"My family and I have received unbelievable support through this situation, and it all means so much,” Griswold said. "We are truly blessed.”
His supporters say nonveterinarian equine dentists are essential because there are not enough vets to care for the thousands of horses in the state.
Supporters say lay equine dentists have done such dental work — known as teeth floating — for hundreds of years. Griswold’s supporters also are complaining he was set up.
The sponsor of the law,
Rep. Brian Renegar, D-
McAlester, said, "These guys have been breaking the law for years and years.”
He said prosecutors would not file charges against illegal horse dentists when a violation was only a misdemeanor, but "they can’t ignore a felony.”
Renegar, a veterinarian, said he was asked to sponsor the legislation by the state
Board of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. He said it passed in the Legislature without a single "no” vote.
He said the law protects horses because only vets are supposed to be able to administer the sedatives needed to work on teeth.
Done improperly, the horse could die, he said.
"It’s illegal for anyone but a veterinarian to have these drugs in their possession,” he said.
The legislator also said vets are trained to notice problems in a horse’s mouth, such as symptoms of cancer, which a lay dentist would miss.
"It’s not just grinding teeth,” he said.
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