THE HOESE 49 



young horses, when it is desirable to make them 

 appear of suitable age for work or for breeding, 

 by knocking out the incisors a year sooner than 

 they would naturally change themselves. If a 

 purchaser suspects deception, he can determine the 

 matter by closely examining the remaining teeth. 

 If the nippers have changed, and the inner edges 

 of the corner teeth have not yet come into con- 

 tact, the foal is but one year old — and so on. 



The opposite cheat — that of trying to make a 

 horse appear younger than he really is by burning 

 artificial marks in upon the teeth — can be detected 

 by closely examining the enamel and the effect of 

 the mark upon it. When a horse has reached an 

 advanced age, say twelve to twenty, the enameled 

 surface has become so minute that burning in as 

 large a mark as is found in horses considerably 

 younger would disturb the whole enamel and so 

 leave a means of detecting the fraud. 



In the case of crib-biters, that wear out their 

 teeth prematurely, and so appear really older than 

 they are, examination must be directed to the 

 corner teeth, which are seldom injured ; or, if the 

 corner teeth prove to be injured, deduct from the 

 apparent age as many lines as are wanting to make 

 the teeth of the natural length. To feed con- 



