564 



HOW TO TELL THE AGE. 



FIG. 320. About 7 years. 



is fed on corn will show an older mouth than one that is fed on 

 oats and sloppy feed. 



The usual time for determining a horse's age is in May ; but a 



colt may come any time be- 

 tween then and fall, so that 

 the wearing away of the 

 teeth or disappearing of the 

 marks or cups may in some 

 cases indicate the horse to 

 be older or younger than he 

 really is. These conditions 

 must be taken into consid- 

 eration. 



At six years the teeth are 

 rather short, flat, or wide, 

 and the gums run across 

 them horizontally, s o m e - 

 thing like cut 324. After 

 the eighth year the gums begin to recede from the center, and the 

 teeth become longer in appearance. By looking at cut 325, show- 

 ing twelve years, we can see that the gum is receded and run to a 

 sharp point at the center of the teeth. At twenty years, the teeth 

 are considerably narrower and longer, and the gums are drawn 

 back sharper. 



By observing the face of the teeth, there will gradually be 

 seen a change to the triangular form, which can be best seen and 

 described by cuts 330, 331. From the age of fourteen, we see this 

 is more noticeable, the middle nippers gradually increasing and 

 extending out to the corner ones, as indicated by cut 331. From 

 fifteen to eighteen this triangular form becomes laterally contracted, 

 so that at about twenty and afterward, the teeth become biangular. 

 As before explained, there are great peculiarities in the form of 

 the teeth with advanced age. The most common is shown by cut 

 332. I include a somewhat rare form shown by extreme age. 

 See cut 333. 



Many curious tricks and methods of telling the horse's age 

 after eight years old have been shown the writer at various times, 

 as wrinkles about the eyes, and root of the tail, etc,, none of 



