262 THE HORSE 



Usually, when the horse reaches his eleventh year, 

 all the cups have disappeared; though it is not 

 uncommon to find shallow cups in the upper corner 

 teeth of smallish dense -boned horses up to thirteen or 

 even fourteen years of age. However, the shape and 

 the angle of the incisors prevent a close judge from 

 being much deceived. After the horse has passed his 

 twelfth year, the matter of two or three years counts 

 for but little; since all horses have then passed their 

 prime, and, while they may, for certain purposes, be 

 as efficient as they were when young, the time is fast 

 approaching when the capital invested in the horse 

 will be lost. The value of a horse is modified by the 

 number of years which is likely to elapse before his 

 value reaches the zero point. For instance, a ten- 

 year-old horse may be, and usually is, able to per- 

 form more service than a five -year -old; but the five- 

 year-old may be able to perform twelve years of 

 efficient service, while, if a horse be ten years old, 

 there would be but seven years of service before the 

 capital stock invested would be sunk. Then, too, 

 old horses are likely to be more sluggish than young 

 ones. All things considered, it is seldom wise to pur- 

 chase an old horse unless the price is low; in which 

 case it matters little whether the horse is fourteen, 

 fifteen or sixteen years of age. One's judgment of 

 the value of a horse at these ages should be founded 

 on general appearances and on activity shown, rather 

 than on age, which cannot be accurately determined 

 by an examination of the teeth. One may distinguish 

 between a horse moderately old and one that is very 



