246 THE HORSE 



THE HORSE'S TEETH 



So far nothing has been said about determining 

 the age of horses. A discussion of this subject has 

 been purposely deferred until the limbs, and particu- 

 larly the feet, have been examined. If these indicate 

 that, in general, the bony structure is softish and of 

 open texture, then it may be concluded that the teeth 

 are of the same general character. The teeth of 

 horses which have bones of somewhat open structure 

 are . likely to indicate that they are slightly older than 

 they really are; while the teeth of horses whose bones, 

 as indicated by legs and hoofs, are of fine and close 

 texture may indicate them to be younger than they 

 really are. All this applies to horses which have 

 passed their eighth year, there being certain charac- 

 teristics and changes in the teeth up to about the 

 eighth year by which the age within a few months 

 may be accurately determined. After the horse has 

 passed the eighth year, it is sometimes difficult, to 

 determine his true age by the teeth. Experts may 

 come within a year or two of it iiiitil the horse 

 becomes quite aged, when he may be said to be six- 

 teen past or eighteen past, and the like; but how 

 much past may not certainly be known from the 

 appearance of his teeth. The texture of the bone, 

 the breeding, the kind of food the horse has eaten, 

 and other conditions, have more or less influence on 

 the teeth; therefore in the old horse the teeth serve 

 to indicate age only in a general way. 



The horse when full-grown has forty teeth 



