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148 



The Age of 



The age of the horse is an import- 

 ant factor in determining his present 

 and prospective value. Familiarity 

 with the characters which most cer- 

 tainly indicate age are, therefore, 

 often extremely useful. A know- 

 ledge of these characters is not diffi- 

 cult to secure, but skill in their ap- 

 plication depends much on familiarity 

 and continued practice. 



General Considerations 

 In estimating the age of the horse, 

 the teeth furnish the best index. Yet 

 there are other general conslderationB 

 that play an important part, especi- 

 ally in the case of young and very 

 old animals. In very old horses, 

 white hairs make their appearance 

 around the temple, the eyes, the nos- 

 trils and elsewhere; the poll, or top 

 of the head, becomes more pointed, 

 the sides of the face more depressed, 

 and the hollows above the eyes more 

 marked. Bear in mind these consid- 

 erations are general, and must be 

 considered as a whole; each, alone, is 

 of very little or no use. 



While differences in the appear- 

 ance of the teeth are considered the 

 most important and the nuMt aoca- 

 rate means of estimating the age of 

 domestic animals, and are the means 

 employed by all horsemen, yet these 

 are not absolutely accurate, and much 

 depends on conditions as well as on 

 the individuality of the animal. The 

 teeth of horses that have bones of 

 somewhat open structure are likely 

 to indicate that the animals are some- 

 what older than they are; while the 

 teeth of horses whose bones are of 

 fine, close texture, may Indicate them 

 to be younger than they are. Again, 

 a horse which has always been fed 

 on soft, succulent food is likely to 

 sfliow a young mouth; whereas, one 

 fed on hard, dry food is likely to 

 show an older mouth. Thus it Is 

 apparent that the texture of the 

 bones, the breeding, the kind of food 

 the horse has eaten, and other condi- 

 tions, have more or less influence on 

 the teeth. 



The horse, when full-grown, haa 



the Horse 



forty teeth, twenty on either Jaw, di- 

 vided as follows: Six incisors, two 

 canines (one on either side), and 

 twelve molars (six on either side). 

 Since only the incisor, or nipp«r, 

 teeth are inspected in estimating the 

 age, they alone will be considered. It 

 is the order in which they make 

 their appearance that enables us to 

 estimate the age up to five years, and 

 the manner in which their surface is 

 worn that aids us in the estimation 

 up to eight years of age. After the 

 horse has passed the eighth year. It 

 is sometimes difficult to determine 

 his true age by the teeth. 



It is not often that one is obliged 

 to inspect the teeth of a horse under 

 three years of age in order to make 

 an estimate of its age. Therefore, 

 the period of colthood will be passed 

 over and we will consider the condi- 

 tion of the incisors when the horse 

 has reached the age of two and one- 

 half to three years.' 



Two and One-half to Three Years Old. 



At about two years and nine 

 months to two years and eleven 

 months the central permanent inci- 

 sors will appear, and at three years 

 of age the outer part of the teeth, 

 and sometimes the inner also, will be 

 up and In wear. The permanent in- 

 cisors are larger in every way than 

 the temporary or milk teeth; they are 

 alfio less smooth and regular, and are 

 usually darker colored, so that no 

 difficulty is experienced In distin- 

 guishing the permanent from the 

 temporary incisors. 



Pour Years Old. 



At about three years and nine 

 months, the intermediate incisors ap- 

 pear. At four years of age, they are 

 fully up and In wear on the outside, 

 and sometimes on the inside. The 

 central incisors show one year's 

 wear, and the cups are not so deep as 

 they were when the colt was three 

 years old. If the colt be a male the 

 tusks should be evident. They would 

 still be sharp and flattish on the In- 

 sides. 



