OB, The Turn Out. 33 



grind. That part of them whicli stands above the gums is 

 smooth, and free from any covering, but all within the sockets 

 of the jaws is more rough, and covered with a thin mem- 

 brane of exquisite sense. 



The age of a horse should be judged from various points 

 of his anatomy. If the hoof be smooth, moist, hollow, and 

 well-sounding, it is a sign of youth ; on the contrary, if 

 rugged, and as it were seamed, one seam over another, and 

 withal dry, foul, and rusty, it is a mark of old age. 



The tail, say the stem, close to the buttock, grip it between 

 the finger and thumb, and if a joint be felt to stick out more 

 than the rest, the size of a nut, the horse is under ten, but 

 if the joints are all plain he may be fifteen. 



The eyes being round, full and bright, the pits that are 

 above them filled, level and smooth, even with the temples, 

 and no wrinkles to be seen either under or over, are marks of 

 youth. 



The ^kin being plucked up in any part between the finger 

 and thumb, and let go again, if it return suddenly to its 

 place, and without shewing wrinkles, then the animal may 

 be believed to be young. 



It is possible by nice judgment to age a horse by looking 

 at his legs and palate. As the animal grows old, the roof of 

 his mouth becomes leaner and drier towards the middle, and 

 the ridges, which in young horses are pretty high and plump, 

 diminish as they increase in years, so that in very old horses 

 the roof of the mouth is nothing but skin and bone. 



The simple rule for telling the age is by examining: the 

 teeth. There are six permanent nippers or front teeth in 

 the lower jaw ; the two front teeth are understood to be cut 

 at ages varying from two to three years, and the teeth each 

 side the middle ones from three and a half to four years. 

 Between four and a half and five years introduces the corner 

 pair and the male tusks. The horse is known as aged at 

 eight, when the marks in the corner nippers are effaced. 

 They are worn out at six in the two centre teeth, and at 

 seven in the next pair. 



The trick used to make false marks in a horse's mouth, by 

 hollowing the tooth with a graver, and burning a mark with 

 a small hot iron, may be easily discovered,* because those who 



