CHAPTER lY. 



THE TEETH — THEIR NATURAL GROWTH, AND THE ABUSES TO WHICH 

 THEY ARE LIABLE. 



" No legs, no horse," is, with a particular class, a very familiar phrase. 

 This assertion, becoming a maxim, has apparently directed attention in 

 a special manner to the lower extremities. All purchasers are particular 

 about the legs and feet of an animal ; but the teeth are merely glanced 

 at, to ascertain the age. Such a custom is evidently wrong ; since it 

 would be as true of the organs of mastication as it is concerning those 

 of locomotion should the horsemen also say, "No teeth, no horse." For 

 the creature that is valuable only on account of its labor, cannot be equal 

 to its toil if it do not consume a fitting quantity of sustenance. Though 

 the majority combine, as it were, to pass the teeth over without notice 

 when inspecting the horse, nevertheless many owners seem to appreciate 

 the value of these organs to the welfare of the quadruped, it being not 

 uncommon to hear horse proprietors complain, "the beast cannot eat 

 sufficient for the demand which is daily made upon its capabilities." 



The animal was sent on this earth provided with every apparatus 

 necessary to crop, to comminute, and to digest the green verdure of the 

 earth. Man has seized on and domesticated the body, which is exqui- 

 sitely adapted only for special purposes. He works it while in its 

 infancy, or forces it to labor until the sight is lost and the limbs are 

 crippled. To fit the creature for his uses, he changes the character of 

 its food. Artificially -prepared oats and hay, with various condiments, 

 are used to stimulate the spirit. No one inquires whether such a diet is 

 the fitting support of the animal. But when the energy lags, beans, 

 beer, etc. are resorted to as restoratives for exhaustion. The quadruped, 

 thus treated, men have agreed shall be aged by the eighth year ; but the 

 author has seen very old horses which had not attained the fifth birth- 

 day. Opinion seems to be based upon the circumstance that, by the 

 time recognized as "aged" in the equine species, the indications of the 

 teeth do no more than tempt a guess. The cessation of dental growth, 

 however, does not announce maturity to be consummated ; but man 

 appeals to the teeth as corroborative of his judgment, without asking 



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