NOW TO TELL THE AGE. 



125 



Fig. 383.— At Five Years. 



At seven years, the mark, in the way in which we have de- 

 scribed it, is worn out in the central nippers, and fast wearing away 

 in the corner teeth ; the tush also is beginning to be altered. It is 

 rounded at the point, rounded at 

 the edges, still round without, 

 and beginning to get round inside. 

 At eight years the tush is 

 rounder in every way ; the mark 

 is gone from all the bottom nip- 

 pers, and it may almost be said to 

 be out of the mouth. There is 

 nothing remaining in the bottom 

 nippers that can afterward clearly 

 show the age of the horse. The 

 upper nippers will give some indi- 

 cations, but nothing certain. 



After the age of eight years, 

 there are no points that will en- 

 able determining age with any degree of accuracy. A horse that 

 is fed on corn will show an older mouth than one that is fed on oats 

 and sloppy feed. 



The usual time for determining 

 a horse's age is in May ; but a colt 

 may come any time between then 

 and fall, so that the wearing away 

 of the teeth or disappearing of the 

 marks or cups may in some cases 

 indicate the horse to be older or 

 younger than he really is. These 

 conditions must be taken into con- 

 sideration. 



At six years the teeth are rather 

 short, flat, or wide, and the gums 

 run across them horizontally, 

 something like Fig. 384. After 

 the eighth year the gums begin to 

 recede from the center, and the teeth become longer in appear- 

 ance. By looking at Fig. 390, showing twelve years, we can see 

 that the gum is receded and run to a sharp point at the center of 

 the teeth. At twenty years, the teeth are considerably narrower 

 and longer, and the gums are drawn back sharper. 



Fig. 384.— At Six Years. 



