AGE. lis 



ones out of their place. When he arrive.: at the ago 

 of three, he sheds one more on each side of tlie middies 

 teeth; when /our years old, he sheds his two cornei 

 and last of his fore teeth; between four ami five iio 

 cuts his under tusks, and when five will cut hij* 

 upper tusks, and have a mouth full and complete 

 his teeth appearing to have their full growth, excepi 

 the tusks, and will be even, regularly placed, ant^ 

 pretty much grooved on the inside, with hollows Oi 

 a very dark brown colo«ur. There is always a verv 

 plain difference between colts' and horses' teeth; the 

 colts' being without grooves and hollows, and nevei 

 so large and strong. Some horses are without uppei 

 tusks even to the end of their lives; but this is not^ 

 common. The appearance of the lower tusks, and 

 them fully grown, is the most certain proof that the 

 horse is five years old, even if one of his colt's teeth 

 remains unshed. At six years ol'd, the grooves and hol- 

 lows in a horse's mouth begin to fill up a httle, and theii 

 tusks have their full growth, with their points sharp, 

 and a little concave or hollow on the inside. At seven 

 years old, the grooves and hollows will be pretty weC 

 filled below, except the corner teeth, leaving where the 

 dark brown hollows formerly were, little brown spots 

 At eight, the whole of the hollows and grooves are 

 filled up, and you see the appearance of what is termed 

 smooth below. At nine years old there very often 

 appears a small bill to the outside corner teeth ; the 

 pomt of the tusk is worn off", and the part that was 

 concave begins to fill up and become rounding ; th(j 

 squares of the middle teeth begin to disappear, and the 

 gums leave them small and narrow at top. Dealer.^ 

 01 horses sometimes drill or hollow the teeth with 

 a graver, and black the hollows by using a hot iron; 

 for the purpose of passing an old horse for a young 



