1096 Rural School Leaflet. 



ESTIMATING AGE IN HORSES 

 M, W. Harper 



One of the most important factors in determining the present and 

 prospective value of a horse, is his age. His continued usefulness 

 depends on his age. Familiarity with the characters that most cer- 

 tainly indicate age are, therefore, often extremely useful. A knowledge 

 of these characters is not difficult to secure, but skill in their application 

 depends much on familiarity and continued practice. 



For estimating the age of the horse, the teeth furnish the best index, 

 yet there are other general considerations that play an important part, 

 especially in the case of very young and very old animals. 



General considerations. — In colts the bones of the face and lower jaw 

 have a full, rounded appearance, because the roots of the teeth extend 

 far into the bone. The face gradually becomes more concave on the 

 sides, the lower jaw thinner from side to side and the lower edges much 

 sharper. This is because the teeth are much more deeply incased in 

 the jaw bone of the younger animal. Little by little the teeth are 

 pushed from their sockets in order to compensate for the loss occasioned 

 by the friction of mastication, and at the same time the two borders 

 of the lower jaw bone are drawn towards each other. In very old 

 horses, white hairs make their appearance around the temples, the eyes, 

 and the nostrils; the poll or top of the head becomes more pointed; 

 the sides of the face more depressed; the supra-orbits, or hollows just 

 above the eyes, more hollowed out; the back bone becomes more promi- 

 nent, and the animal does not stand squarely on his legs. Bear in 

 mind, these considerations are general in their nature and to be con- 

 sidered as a whole. Each taken alone is of little or no use, but 

 when considered in connection with the age indicated by the teeth, 

 they help to confirm one's conclusions as to the age. 



Estitnation of age by the teeth. — While the appearance of the teeth is 

 considered the most accurate means of estimating the age of the horse, 

 yet it is not absolutely accurate, as other conditions as well as the individ- 

 uality of the animal must be taken into account. The texture of the 

 horse's teeth, his feed, and his breeding may influence the amount of 

 wear on the teeth. 



Since one is seldom called upon to estimate the age of a colt under 

 two and a half or three years of age, we shall pass rapidly over the 

 earlier period. The horse is provided with two sets of teeth — the 

 milk or baby teeth and the permanent teeth. The first or middle pair 

 of the milk teeth appear at about one week old; the second or inter- 



