64 EXAMINATION OF HORSES AS TO SOUNDNESS 



stroked, when, in nine cases out of ten, the horse 

 will quieten down and allow you to handle him 

 as you require. 



When a very careful examination of the 

 incisors is required, it is best to take hold of 

 the tongue and draw it partially out of the 

 mouth, when the whole of their arrangement 

 can be easily seen. 



When it is necessary to inspect the molars, 

 it is best done with the aid of the balling-iron. 

 The instrument inserted into the mouth, and 

 the tongue carefully drawn out, the molars and 

 their arrangement can be seen with the greatest 

 ease. With a restless horse, who fights against 

 the iron being placed into his mouth, a twitch acts 

 as an extremely good sedative ; but this can, as 

 a rule, be dispensed with if the horse be handled 

 kindly, and at the same time with a certain 

 amount of firmness. 



Parts of the Teeth. 



A tooth is divided into three parts — viz., 

 crown, fang, and neck. The crown is that 

 portion that projects into the mouth above the 



