8 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



the hollows above the eyes deeper ; the backbone becomes more 

 prominent and often strongly curved downward, and the animal 

 does not stand squarely on his legs, which show more wear. 



Examination of the teeth. — While the order of the appearance 

 of the teeth and their method of wearing are considered the most 

 important and accurate means of estimating the age of domestic 

 animals, and are the means employed by all horsemen, these are 

 not absolutely accurate, and much depends on the condition as 

 well as the individuality of the animal. The teeth of animals 

 that have bones of somewhat open structure are likely to in- 

 dicate that the animals are older than they really are ; while 

 the teeth of those whose bones are .of fine close texture may 

 indicate them to be younger than they are. Again, animals fed 

 on soft and succulent food are likely to show a younger mouth, 

 whereas those fed on hard, dry food are likely to show an older 

 mouth. 



The horse when full grown has forty teeth, twenty on either 

 jaw, divided as follows: six nippers, two canines, one on either 

 side, and twelve molars, six on a side. In the mare the canines 

 are usually absent. Since only the nippers or incisor teeth are 

 inspected in estimating the age, they alone will be considered. 

 It is the order in which the nippers make their appearance that 

 enables us to estimate the age of the horse up to five years, 

 and the manner in which their surface is worn that aids us in the 

 estimation from five to eleven years of age. After the horse has 

 passed the eleventh year it is difficult to determine the age. In 

 practice the age is designated as eleven, twelve, or fifteen past, 

 as the case may be, but how much past cannot be told with any 

 degree of accuracy. 



The colt is provided before the end of the first year with a set 

 of temporary or milk teeth, the first or middle pair appearing 

 at about two weeks of age ; the second or intermediate pair at 

 one to two months of age ; and the third or lateral pair appearing 

 at about ten months of age. The difference in size of the jaw- 



