CHAPTER V. 

 THE HORSE'S TEETH ; AND HOW TO TELL HIS AGE. 



I. THE DENTAL FORMULA. II. THE TEETH ARE THE TRUE INT>EX OF AGE. III. 



THE FOAL*S TEETH. IV. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TEETH OF FOAL AND HORSIt 



Iv. ALLOWANCES TO BE MADE. VI. ILLUSTRATING BY THE CHART. 



I. The Dental Formula. 

 The names and numbers of the teeth of the horse are as follows : In- 

 cisors (front teeth or nippers) | ; canine, oi tushes or hook teeth, in the 

 male only, { ^ : molars, or grinding teeth f f, making forty in all. This 

 is for tlie male. The mare has but thirty-six, since she lacks the tush- 

 es, or canine teeth. These sometimes also fail to develop in the geld- 

 ing. 



II. The Teeth are the True Index of Age. 

 Almost every horseman is supposed to be able pretty accurately to de- 

 termine the age of his horse. Amon.Gj old horses, the eyes, the sharpness 

 of tlie jaw bones, and the bones of the tail, are, by many, claimed to 

 o-ive a clear indication of the animal's age. But these are all fallacious. 

 They may be, and in fact are, helps, but the only true indication is given 

 by the teeth; and to the educated eye, these are sufficient to tell 

 the age accurately up to eight years, and thereafter with sufficient accuracy 

 for all practical parpua^o. From the time the colt is foaled until death, 

 the teeth are constantly undeigoing change. Hence, if a person carefully 

 studies the changing conditions of the teeth, he may accurately determin^i 

 the a"-e either of the colt or horse. The incisors furnish the chief indica^ 

 tion,butto some extent the tushes or hook teeth, and the grinders give 

 valuable assistance, since they may correct, or corroborate, what is seenin 

 die incisors. To assist in this study we give in this chapter, a chart show- 

 ino-, from accurate drawings, the precise appearance of the teeth from 

 colt-hood up to the age of twenty-nine years. This chart, with the ac- 

 companying explanations, will enable any person of intelligence to judge 

 the age of a horse, even thouuh ne have been »*Bishoped,*' as the making 

 of false marks on the teeth in called, troiu the name of the rascal who in 

 vented the practioeo 



m. The Foal's Teeth. 



When just foaled, the colt has no front teeth, but in most cases twelve 



back teeth appear just above the gums. At from two to three months 



of age four central nippers appear, two in each jaw ; in six weeks another 



looth comes out on each side of these, or four more nil together; and 



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