HORSES AND MULES 



339 



coarse sacking, after which they are cov- 

 ered until dry and then thoroughly 

 cleaned with brush and currycomb. The 

 appearance of the coat and the general 

 thriftiness of the horses are in all cases 

 much improved by thorough grooming, 

 so that this operation is not to be looked 

 upon as a mere matter of style. By 

 means of careful grooming the skin is 

 kept in a healthy condition, the sweat 

 pores are opened and horses are actually 

 able to endure hard work more success- 

 fully and with less loss of weight. 



Determining age by teeth — At birth 

 the colt usually has no teeth in the front 



in the face of the central front teeth 

 are obliterated or razed off, and the 

 same process takes place in the other 

 front teeth, ending with the corner teeth 

 by the end of the second year. 



The shedding of the milk teeth and 

 the appearance of the second set, or per- 

 manent teeth, begins to take place at 

 from two and one-half to three years of 

 age. The first, or milk teeth, may 

 always be recognized by their shortness, 

 white color and by a constriction or 

 neck near the gum. The middle front 

 teeth are shed first, the intermediate 

 ones following at the age of three and 



Fig. 226 — FLEXIBLE SHAFT HORSE CLIPPING MACHINE 



of the mouth and only four molars in 

 each jaw. After a few days, the middle 

 incisor teeth appear, and after about a 

 month another grinder breaks through 

 on each side of each jaw. At the age 

 of four months the intermediate front 

 teeth appear, and at the age of six to 

 eight months the side front teeth, or cor- 

 ners as they are commonly called, break 

 through, and also another grinder on 

 each jaw. This completes the set of 

 milk teeth. As soon as a tooth breaks 

 through the gum, it is subject to wear, 

 which, in connection with its growth, 

 continually changes its appearance. At 

 the age of 13 to 16 months the cavities 



one-half to four years, and the corner 

 teeth between four and one-half and 

 five years of age. These conditions will 

 thus serve to determine the age of the 

 horse up until the time when he be- 

 comes mature. A horse is said to be 

 mature at five years of age, when his 

 set of permanent teeth is completed. 



The determination of the age of horses 

 between the ages of five and 10 years 

 may be made with considerable certainty 

 by experts, from a study of the front 

 teeth of the lower and upper jaws. Nat- 

 urally these teeth undergo a progressive 

 wearing process, which changes their 

 appearance as the animal grows older, 



