CHAPTER XVII 

 CARE OF THE TEETH 



npHE teeth of the horse should be examined at least 

 •*" once a year. If he slobbers, froths at the mouth, 

 drives on one rein,^ or drops small cuds of partly- 

 chewed hay, it is highly probable that his teeth are at 

 fault. Interfering among trotters, and especially knee- 

 knocking, is often caused by a sore tooth or cheek which 

 makes the horse carry his head on one side, and thus 

 throws him out of balance. 



The most common trouble is for the teeth in the 

 upper jaw to become rough and jagged on the outer 

 or inner edges, and you will often find the sides of 

 the cheeks or the tongue scratched or cut. The teeth 

 should be sharp, but the cutting surface should be even. 

 The edges can easily be smoothed with a file made for 

 this purpose. But be sure that this slight operation is 

 performed by a competent person. Amateurs are very 

 apt to file the teeth too much, and more than one horse 

 has starved to death, because his teeth were filed down 

 so that he could not eat. A few minutes' work will be 

 sufficient to do all that is necessary in this respect. 



Another frequent trouble is for the upper teeth to 

 become so long that they do not meet the lower teeth 

 properly, or vice versa, and in this case also just so 



^ Sometimes driving on one rein is caused by a sore shoulder. 



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