72 THE HORSE. 



over the eyes. In horses that liave not passed their prime, 

 this depression over the ej^es is absent. The older the horse 

 gets, the greater does the hollow become. Grey hairs about 

 the eyes are another indication of great age in a horse. 

 The front legs of old horses generally show much wear, and 

 the knees often become bent. In the case of grey horses, 

 their coat becomes of a lighter hue every year, and greys 

 eventually turn almost, or wholly, Avhite. 



The Terms Rising: and Off rec^uire explana 

 tion in connection with tlie age of liorses. Supposing a horse 

 is nearly foiu- (say within four montlis or less of that age), it 

 is said to be '' rising four." A horse just over four 3'ears old 

 is said to be '" four off." The same terms are, of course, 

 used in connection with any other age. Thus horses may be 

 " rising five," " five off," " rising six," " six off," and so on. As 

 foalsi are usually born in the spring months, each year of a 

 horse's age is, as a rule, completed in tlie spring. This fact 

 should be remembered, as it helps to determine the age of a 

 hors©. 



Table Showing Age of Horses. — Appended is a 

 short table, showing the indications of the age of horses from 

 two Years to nine vears. 



