496 THE HORSE TEETHING 



hardening the skin of the shoulder to endure the pressure of 

 future work. A paste of fuller's earth plastered over any 

 irritated or superficially injured part acts as a serviceable, 

 stimulating, and healing dressing, provided it be left on till 

 the cure is effected. This debars its use, however, when the 

 injury is the result of the rubbing or pressure of the harness, 

 except when the horse is laid aside from work. 



While teething, it is not unusual for a young horse to have 

 a tender mouth and to refuse to eat. If off his food through 

 being feverish from work, it is necessary to coax him by 

 giving varieties of food, a little at a time, but at all times 

 new and fresh. 



Young horses do better when pastured along with cattle 

 than with sheep, which, like them, are close grazers ; but if 

 more than two run together, or near each other in adjoining 

 fields, they are liable to contract the habit of galloping after 

 other animals grazing beside them, and by exciting and 

 heating them prevent their thriving. Some cattle contract 

 the bad habit of eating the hair from the tails of horses as 

 well as from those of the other members of the herd, and 

 thus reduce the sale value by spoiling their appearance. 



When horses have small feet, paring the edges of the 

 hoof now and then, and blistering the coronet, encourage 

 the growth of horn. 



Idle horses are liable to rub, bite, and break gates, and 

 escape from their own pastures to do damage to growing 

 crops. A few strands of barbed wire nailed along the 

 upper bars of a gate form a safe and simple preventive of 

 the evil. 



The age of horses able to do work may easily be 

 determined by the incisor teeth of the lower jaw, if the 

 animals be not more than eight years old. The molars, 

 except when newly developed, form no guide. A mature 

 horse has forty teeth in equal numbers on each jaw, four 

 being tushes or canines, which are absent in the mare. 



" The Foal at birth, or within a few days, has the two 

 central temporary incisors, 'milk teeth,' or 'sucking teeth.' 

 In from fourteen to twenty-one days the two middles appear, 

 and about two months after they become level at the crown 

 with the two centrals. At about the age of six months the 

 two corners appear. When first developed they are always 



