190 



THE TEETH 



After the animal has a full set of permanent teeth, we judge 

 the age hy the degree of wear or the appearance of the table 

 surfaces of the incisors, their shape, the angle with which they 

 meet and the general appearance of the head. 



There are several ditlerent factors that may cause the wear 

 on the teeth, and the appearance of their tahle surfaces to vary 

 in the different individuals. The two factors that are of the 



Fig. 53. — Cross-section of head of young horse showing replacement of molar tooth (A). 



most importance are the quality of the teeth and the character 

 of feed. Soft teeth wear more quickly than hard teeth, and the 

 teeth of horses that feed over closely cropped and sandy pastures 

 wear rapidly because of the dirt and grit present on the short 

 grass. Tliis variation in the wear is of little importance to the 

 person who must judge the age of a horse that he expects to 

 purchase by the condition of the teeth. In reality, a horse is 

 just as old as the wear on the teeth and his general appearance 



