THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 15 



ON THE TEETH. AND HENCE THE AGE. 



The mouth of the horse, when he has the full com- 

 plement, contains forty teeth. These are of three 

 kinds, namely — incisors, or cutting teeth — canine, or 

 tustles — ana moiar, or grinders ; and are thus arranged 

 by natural historians : — 



6 1-1 6-6 



Incisors — Canine Molar 



6 1-1 6-6 



In front of each jaw stand the incisors, twelve in num- 

 ber, behind which lie the four canine teeth, one abov^ 

 and one below, on each side of the jaws : at some dis- 

 tance beyond these will be found the twenty-four mo- 

 lars, and these are flat at the crown, and are covered 

 with ridges of enamel which penetrates the substance 

 of the tooth. 



Wlien five or six days old, the four front teeth be- 

 gin to shoot ; and between the sixth and ninth months 

 the last of the incisors make their appearance, and the 

 colt's mouth is completed. The yearling, by the com- 

 pletion of the first year, has four molars and grinders 

 above and below ; at two years another will be added ; 

 and by the time the colt is three years old the last 

 of these teeth ought to be protruding ; and between 

 the age of three and a half and four years the tusks 

 usually appear, which do not arrive at their full growth 

 till about the sixth year. 



The horse, however, has two sets of nippers and 

 grinders ; those which come first are called the tem- 

 porary, which presently make way for the permanent 

 set. 



The permanent nippers make their appearance as 

 follows, and are generally divided into three kinds : — 



