ON THE AGE OF THE HORSE. 
357 
yearly regularity that leaves, with very few exceptions, no doubt 
whatever, at certain periods of the year , of the age of the animal. 
We can all of us adduce instances — many in the course of our 
practice — of horses presenting mouths that would have led us to 
believe that they were either a year younger or a year older than 
they really are. Inform us, however, of the month of birth of such 
horses, and in many of the cases the doubt will be at once dis- 
pelled. On such as it is not by this needful information re- 
solved, permit us to suspend our judgment for a month, or two 
or three, and the mouth will in the interim undergo those changes 
that will themselves clear up the question ; in fact, give it time, 
and the mouth will become its own interpreter. An example' of 
this lately presented itself. A mare was brought for examina- 
tion, having two permanent and two temporary incisor teeth in 
either jaw : the mare was pronounced to be three years old ; the 
vendor said he knew her to be “ four, rising five.” Three months 
after purchase — in March last, she having been bought in the latter 
part of December — she got her lateral permanent incisors in ex- 
change for the temporary, and at the same time cut her corner per- 
manent incisors ; skipping, as it were, according to her mouth, her 
fourth year. In another instance, a three-year-colt exchanged one 
of his corner temporary incisors for a permanent tooth while the 
lateral temporary incisor remained fast and firm by the side of it. 
In a third instance, a pony that had completed its third birthday 
shewed no permanent incisor tooth. It was still, by its mouth, a 
two-year-old, and for a fortnight over its birthday to appearance 
continued so ; although so loose and ready to shell off were the 
middle temporary teeth, that the application of the finger nail to 
them would have been sufficient to have dislodged them. And at 
this present time (May) we know of a half-bred filly who has 
completely cut her right upper corner incisor and about half cut her 
left correspondent tooth; while, in her lower jaw, she still retains 
both corner sucking-teeth, and her (small) tushes are so prominent 
that they are evidently occasioning her a good deal of annoyance. 
What age is this mare? Is she four or five ? Our own opinion 
is, that no man could safely answer the question but by reference 
to the month in which she was foaled. 
VOL. xviii. 3 c 
