148 avery's own farrier. 



color of the horse; and after the horse is past twelve, 

 the edge of this ciicle begins to be broken up with w^hile 

 spots, making it look like saw teeth, or one of these white 

 spots will sometimes appear half an inch below the circle, 

 and about as large as a common sized pea, which in- 

 creases in size with the age of the horse, or another one 

 is added every year. These marks, also, may aid one 

 considerably in determining the age; but to have them 

 reliable, they must have been examined previous to their 

 appearance. And again there are other marks whereby 

 a man of observation may tell the age of a horse as well 

 in the dark as by daylight, that is, by feeling of the lips, 

 jaws, neck and tail, which are as follows: The neck of 

 all horses under the age of four years, will feel perfectly 

 smooth from the head to the breast, notwithstanding the 

 condition they may be in. At the age of five years you 

 can feel on either side of the neck, about midway from 

 the jaw to. the breast, a small bunch about the size of 

 half a chestnut; also by passing the fingers immediately 

 over the cervical vertebrae or bones of the neck, which 

 are seven in number, consequently there are six joints in 

 the neck, exclusive of where they join on to the head 

 and back; and every five years adds another bunch over 

 one of these joints, until there may be six counted. These 

 bunches grow somewhat after they can be felt, and are 

 plain to be seen with the eye in old age, which is caused 

 by the shrinking away of the flesh between the joints. 

 The same rule holds good also with the tail, with only 

 this difference: the joint next to'the body is the first to 

 appear enlarged, which takes place about the time they 

 shed the first colt teeth; and each year adds one other 



