88 

 MISCELLANEOUS. 



ACTION OF A HORSE, TO IMPROVE. 



No. 1. — Lunge a "daisy-cutter" amongst mole-hills; lie will 

 pick up his feet rather than tumble on his nose. 



No. 2. — Ride him in a straw yard, with the straw a good depth. 



j^o, 3. — Trot him for a short time daily over heavy ploughed land. 



No. 4. — Procure two hollow belts of leather, each having a strap 

 at one end and buckle at the other (much the same in shape as the 

 rings used to prevent cutting); these are to be half filled with shot, 

 and buckled on the fore-legs, between the hoof and pastern, every time 

 the horse is taken out. It is said that the rattling makes the horse 

 step up, though in our opinion he v/ould soon become accustomed 

 to it. 



AGE OF A HORSE, TO KXOW. 



The colt is born with twelve grinders. When four front teeth 

 have made their appearance, the colt is twelve days old ; when the 

 next four come forth it is four weeks old. When the corner teeth 

 appear the colt is eight months, and when the latter have attained 

 the height of the front teeth it is one year old. In the two-year-old 

 the kernel (the dark substance in the middle of the tooth's crown) 

 is out of all the front teeth. In the third year the middle front 

 teeth are being shifted ; and when three years old, these are 

 changed for the horse teeth. The next four teeth are shifted in the 

 fourth year, and the corner teeth in the fifth. At six years old the 

 kernel is worn out of the lower middle front teeth, and the bridle 

 teeth have now attained their full growth. At seven years a hook 

 has been formed on the corner teeth of the upper jaw, the kernel 

 of the teeth next to the middle fronts is worn out, and the bridle 

 teeth begin to wear off. At eight years old the kernel is worn out 

 of all the lower front teeth, and begins to decrease in the middle 

 upper fronts. At nine years, the kernel has wholly disappeared from 

 the upper middle front teeth, the hook in the corner teeth has 

 increased in size, and the middle teeth lose their points. In the 

 tenth year the kernel is worn out of those next to the middle fronts 

 of the upper jaw ; and in the eleventh year the kernel has entirely 

 vanished from the corner teeth of the same jaw. At twelve years 

 the crown of all the front teeth in the middle lower jaw has become 

 triangular, and the middle teeth are much worn down. As the 

 horse advances in age the gums shrink away from the teeth, which 

 consequently acquire a long, narrow appearance, and their kernels 

 have become changed into a darkish point ; grey hairs increase on 



