AGE OF THE HORSE. 55 



The writer, who has theoretically and practically studied the 

 -the horse's mouth for eighteen years, has had opportunities of 

 examining the mouths of thousands 'of horses of all ages, thus 

 thoroughly convincing himself of jthe reliability of the rules he 

 has laid down for telling the age of the horse. 



He has been teaching this new system for nearly ten years, and 

 has taught thousands of persons, and caused numerous discussions 

 upon the subject. 



While in Terra Haute, Indiana, there was no little excitement 

 created by the teaching of this system. In fact, some of the 

 horsemen who were skeptical on the subject, wrote to Wilkes' 

 Spirit of the Times to ascertain if it were possible to tell the horse's 

 age up to twenty-one years. The answer came, " No," with a 

 long explanation, giving many reasons why it could not. 



The principal point presented in Winces' argument was, that the 

 cups or marks entirely disappeared in the teeth at nine years of 

 age ; and that, after the cups or marks were gone, it was impossi- 

 ble to ascertain with any degree of certainty how old the horse 

 was. 



(Every new invention, idea, and system of teaching any science 

 or art, must have a discoverer or inventor ; and as those new 

 ideas, systems, and inventions are made public, there is, of course, 

 much discussion, criticism, and opposition created by those 

 familiar as well as by those unfamiliar with the subject.) 



The writer contends that the horse's mouth undergoes a con- 

 tinual change from the time he is foaled to the day he dies ; and 

 that it is much easier to determine his age from ten years up to 

 twenty-one, than it is from one to ten, and we feel confident that 

 we will be able to substantiate these statements as we proceed 

 with the lesson. 



The horse has forty teeth, and, as we use only twelve of them 

 .to determine his age, we will have very little to say about 



