(October 30, 2007)--Some horse dentists are fighting attempts by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to get them to stop practicing without veterinary licenses.

Dozens of horse dentists and owners rallied Tuesday outside the board’s offices in Austin.

The board in February mailed letters to several equine dentists ordering them to stop.

That prompted a lawsuit filed in Travis County.

Clark Neily with the Institute for Justice, which is representing the horse dentists, says experienced people are being put out of work.

Texas had allowed the regular filing of horse teeth, known as "floating," to be done by someone other than a vet.

But the 2005 Legislature gave the vet board specific approval to intervene.

That's because some horse dentists have been using other methods, such as power tools, which may require the animal to be sedated.

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