THE POIXTS OF THE HORSE 



175 



Figure 5;^. — The teeth showing 

 6 years of age. 



The teeth of the horse at 



eight years show the cups of the 



third and last pair of incisors in 



each jaw worn off. By this time 



all the teeth have been worn 



about level, so that the mouth 



mark largely loses its value. The 



cups in the incisor teeth of the 



upper jaw wear off more slowly, 



however, those in the central 



pair disappearing at about nine years. This result is due 



to the fact that the cup in the upper incisors is deeper than 



in the lower ones, and so remains a longer time. 



The six permanent teeth in 

 each jaw at first meet each other 

 in much the same position, their 

 ends butting directly together. 

 As age increases, the teeth gradu- 

 ally take a more incUned or slant- 

 ing position in each jaw, so that 

 they come together at a sharper 

 angle. The older teeth are also 

 more worn off at the surface, but 



have grown out longer. In horses from 12 to 16 years of 



age, the ends of the teeth become somewhat three-sided. 



The soundness of the horse is regarded as verj' impor- 

 tant. Many unsound horses are 



sold to men who think they are 



buying sound ones. Then, when 



the buyers attempt to sell, their 



horses often show a great loss on 



the purchase price. If, therefore, 



one is to be a capable judge, one 



must be able to distinguish cases 



of unsoundness. It is not always ^'^-^^ f-J^l' ,Tl%, ^'^'^"''"^ 



Figure 54. — The teeth showing 

 7 years of age. 



