HORSE PRODUCTION 131 



Five Years Old. The permanent corner incisors are almost up into wear 

 and the animal has a full set of permanent-teeth. At this age the filly becomes 

 a mare and the colt becomes a horse. (See Photograph) 



Six Years Old. At six years old the cups in the center incisors of the 

 lower jaw are almost obliterated. (See Photograph) 



Seven Years Old. The cups do not show plainly in the teeth of the lower 

 jaw except in the outside pair of incisors. (See photograph) 



Eight Years Old. The cups are worn out of all the lower teeth. (See 

 Photograph) 



Nine to Ten Years Old. The cups disappear from the central incisors of 

 the upper jaw. 



Eleven Years Old. The cups are worn out of the lateral incisors of the 

 upper jaw and remain only in the two corner incisors. 



Twelve Years Old. The cups are worn out of all the upper teeth. The 

 central incisors of the lower jaw are about as thick as they are broad. 



Thirteen Years Old. The central and lateral incisors of the lower jaw are. 

 nearly round. 



Fourteen Years Old. The corner incisors of the lower jaw are round 

 and the teeth tend toward the horizontal. (See Photograph) 



Twenty-two Years Old. The central incisors of the upper jaw are tri- 

 angular and the incisors meet at an acute angle. (See Photograph) 



SHOEING AND CARE OF THE FEET. 



Nearly all diseases of the feet are the result of improper shoeing and the 

 lack of care of the feet. If the conditions are such that the horn is not worn 

 off faster than it grows and the foot is strong, shoes are unnecessary. 



Shoes become necessary when the animal shows signs of the feet be- 

 coming sore because of the rapid wearing away of the horn when traveling 

 on hard roads, etc. This may be confined to the front feet only and will dis- 

 appear when shoes are applied to their feet. For ordinary purposes simple plates, 

 without calks and just heavy enough to prevent bending, are better. 



Shoes with sharp calks are necessary when the roads are slippery and when 

 heavy pulling requires that the horse get a grip which will enable him to stand. 



Extra heavy shoes are sometimes required on the front feet of draft 

 horses, and often a horse is shod to suit some abnormal condition of the foot such 

 as the high-heeled shoe to give relief in bone spavin, or the barred shoe for horses 

 subject to corns. 



Shoe Fitting. All loose horn should be removed. Care must be taken 

 to keep the sole of the foot perfectly level for otherwise injuries to the joints 

 may result. The frog should be left in its normal shape and size and the bars 

 should not be cut away. The shoe must be the exact size and shape of the foot 

 after the foot is trimmed to its normal form. The shoe should be fitted cold, 

 never hot; the nails should be small and when driven out well down on the 

 hoof. After the shoe is fastened clinch the nails by imbedding them slightly 

 in the hoof with a hammer and smoothing them off with a rasp. The outside 



