H E -:- H O R S E 



CHAPTER X. 



Buying a Saddle Horse — Age shown by the teeth — How to 

 detect poor vision and other defects — Splints, ringbone, 

 spavin — Sore backs, what they indicate — Shoulder lameness 

 and navicular disease — Laminitis or founder — Testing a horse 

 for wind — How to recognize a wind-sucker or crib-biter. 



Examination. — Beginning at the horse's 

 head it is well to look in the animal's mouth 

 to obtain a general idea of his age. An ap- 

 proximation in this respect can be made from 

 the condition of his teeth. The ordinary horse 

 has two sets of incisor teeth, each set contain- 

 ing three sets of two teeth. The two middle 

 front teeth, of the respective jaws, are called 

 the middle incisors. The two teeth which are 

 on either side of these are the intermediate 

 incisors. The two teeth which in turn are on 

 either side of the two intermediate teeth are 

 called the corner incisors. 



Age Index. — The animal that is two years 

 of age has a full set of colt incisor teeth. They 

 are of the same number and general appear- 

 ance as horse teeth, only they are smaller, 

 whiter and shorter. At three years of age, 

 the two middle incisors are horse teeth, while 

 the intermediate and corner ones are still colt 

 teeth. At four, the middle and intermediate 

 incisors are horse teeth, while only the corner 

 ones are colt teeth. At five, the horse has a 

 full mouth of horse teeth. Each of these has 



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