78 



corner teeth before the natural period of their 

 dropping out. The bars of the mouth are also 

 cut to let the tushes protrude prematurely. But 

 although the corner teeth are removed, and the 

 protrusion of the new teeth is thereby somewhat 

 accelerated, yet it is an unerring rule, that the 

 animal has not attained his fifth year until the 

 corner teeth, both of the upper and lower jaw, 

 arc complete in their size and appearance, and 

 the marks of the middle teeth begin to fill up. 

 The tushes also should rise considerably above 

 the jaw. 



It is difficult to discover with accurac}^ the 

 age of crib-biters, and horses whose teeth are 

 extremely hard ; the former lose the marks of 

 their teeth before their usual period, the latter 

 retain them long after the age of seven years. 

 In examining a horse's mouth, it is necessary to 

 look at both sides of it, as a considerable dif- 

 ference in the appearance frequently ocOurs 

 from the mastication of the food being per- 

 formed on one side of the mouth only, in wdiich 

 case the teeth on that side of the jaw^ which has 

 most friction, will be most forward in their al- 

 teration. 



