262 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



OR DENTITION. 



Wh^n the foal is born into the world, no teeth are visible 

 except the first and second grinders, on each side, above and 

 below, making eight in all; or sometimes these do not ap- 

 pear for two or three days afterward. He cuts the remain- 

 ing teeth in succession, at various intervals ; so that the milk 

 teeth — the first set — are not all developed until he is in his 

 third year. 



It is not our purpose, in this connection, to describe the 

 methods of telling the age of a horse by his teeth, that sub- 

 ject being reserved for Chapter XIX. The diseases of the 

 teeth and mouth form what we have now to consider. 



The cutting of nearly thirty teeth, however lightly it may 

 be regarded by the stock- raiser, is certainly a matter of no 

 small moment to the colt. While it is true that ITature pre- 

 pares the gums, in a great measure, for this process, if any one 

 \vill take the trouble to examine the mouth and gums of the 

 colt while it is going on, he will probably be astonished to 

 find how hot and feverish these parts are. During the period 

 of suckling, the milk of the mother tends greatly to counter- 

 act the evil eiFects of teething, and, at this period, Nature 

 will seldom need any assistance in the way of other diet, or 

 medication of any kind. But, after weaning, all through 

 what remains of teething, and the entire process of shed- 

 ding, the young animal does not fare so well, and a variety 

 of disorders lie in wait for him, making this the most crit- 

 ical period of his whole life. 



It is undoubtedly a wise and kindly provision of JS'ature 

 that the colt's teeth do not all come at once; for, if that 

 were the case, such would be the severity of the operation 

 that very few, probably, would live through it. As it is, the 

 soreness and inflammation occasioned by the cutting of one 

 pair has time to subside, and the gums are allowed time to 

 heal over before any more come through. It is worthy of 

 remark, also, that dentition does not so seriously afi:ect the 

 horse as either the human species or the dog. 



