THE horse's teeth, AND HOW TO TELL HIS AGE. 117 



and harder teeth. The difference in food and in pastures has already 

 been spoken of. Some breeds of horses develop more slowly than others. 

 Spanish horses develop slowly. Again, a false system of feeding will 

 mature an animal sooner than if he were fed in the ordinary way. But 

 animals which develop slowly generally live longer than those which 

 develop quickly, so that in the end, the years of service, judging from 

 the teeth, are about the same. The slowly-developed horse is, however, 

 olJer by perhaps one or two years than would appear from his teeth. 

 In like manner, the age of a mule is difficult to determine with exacthess, 

 though it may be determined closely enough ; and a mule of twelve or 

 fifteen years of age, if he has not been injured, has many years of ser- 

 vice yet in him. 



VI. Study The Chart. 



Nine men in ten, in examining the teeth to ascertain the age, will look 

 at the upper jaw. The lower jaw is really that which should be exam- 

 ined, and for this reason, the dealer or person who wishes to deceive 

 usually confines his operations to tampering with the incisors of the 

 lower jaw. Again, the teeth of the lower jaw show wear, and change 

 their appearance more surely than those of the upper jaw. Hence in 

 studying the teeth for age, both jaws should be looked at, and thus a 

 careful study of the chart will be of the first importance. In relation to 

 this matter, Youatt says: "Stabled horses have the mark sooner worn 

 out than those at grass, and a crib-biter may deceive the best judge by 

 one or two years." While it is true, that a horse kept on dry hay and 

 dry grain, will do so, it is a fact well known that horses feeding on 

 gritty pastures, or sandy pastures, where they are obliged to bite close to 

 the ground, will wear their teeth very much faster than others. It should 

 not be difficult, either, to detect a confirmed crib-biter. The teeth will 

 not only be worn from grasping the object in the act, but the edges a!so 

 are apt to be broken or scaled, from the slipping off of the teeth in the 

 act of letting go. 



In relation to tampering with the teeth, by filing, burning, etc., it 

 ought not to deceive any one. Upon this subject, Youatt says : "Dis- 

 honest dealers have been said to resort to a method of prolonging the 

 mark in the lower nippers. It is called bishoping, from the name of the 

 scoundrel who invented it The horse of eight or ninej'ears old is thrown, 

 and with an engraver's tool, a hole is dug in the now almost plain sur- 

 face of the corner teeth, and in shape and depth resembling the mark in 

 a seven year old horse. The mark is then burned with a heated iron, 

 and a permanent black stain is left ; the next pair of nippers are some- 

 times lightly touched. An ignorant man would very easily be imposed 



