54 THE AGE OF THE HORSE. 



terms " parrot-mouth " and " reversed parrot- 

 mouth " are, respectively, appUed to these irre- 

 gularities. A horse that is kept upon a sandy 

 pasture will obliterate the mark sooner than one 

 where the soil is of a chalky nature. Feeding on 

 hard food wears away the teeth faster. Horses 

 that are in the habit of biting their crib usually 

 show this by the wear on the front edge and face of 

 the incisor teeth. In every case, it is usual to refer 

 to the lower incisors only for evidence of age. 



General Appearances as Indicative of Age. 



Veterinary surgeons, and others dealing exten- 

 sively in horses, can form an opinion as to the 

 animal's age by its general appearances. Grey 

 horses usually turn white after they are about eight 

 years of age. A horse under three years of age 

 lacks the development of one at four or five, and 

 the carriage of a young animal is not as graceful 

 as that of an older one. Work has, of course, an 

 important influence upon the physical condition 

 of an animal, at a given age. When young horses 

 are put to work on hard roads, say, at three years 

 old, they will, by the time they arrive at about five 

 years, show as much evidence of wear as a horse 

 that has been carefully worked at ten or twelve 



