CAUSES OF INDIGESTION 121 



assistance, but really the most effectual plan, 

 where practicable, is to mix two or three pounds 

 of chaffed hay with the grain. In the case of 

 horses which do not bolt their grain, where there 

 is evidence of imperfect mastication, the grind- 

 ers should be thoroughly examined. This should 

 be done by a qualified and reputable veterinarian. 

 The wandering, self-styled horse dentist should 

 be carefully avoided, as he is apt to injure the 

 teeth by the over-use of the forceps and tooth- 

 rasp. Many horses' lives are shortened by allow- 

 ing unprincipled and ignorant men to ill-treat 

 the teeth. 



Horses are more liable than almost any other 

 species, to irregular growths of the grinders, 

 owing to their peculiar anatomical arrangement. 

 The two rows of grinders in the upper jaw are 

 further apart than those in the lower, and conse- 

 quently overlap them on either side. The grind- 

 ing surface is beveled, and in the upper jaw 

 slants from within outwards, forming a ridge 

 on the outside of each row. The arrangement 

 in the lower jaw is just the opposite, the ridge 

 coming on the inside. In order that grinding of 

 the food may take place in a perfect manner, the 

 teeth must come into perfect apposition. If the 

 grinders do not come into perfect contact in the 

 process of grinding, the food is not only imper- 

 fectly masticated, but the teeth wear irregularly. 



