FARRIERY. 
229 
at that age, eight hone’s,'and four foal’s, teeth. Thefe 
laft new teeth are flow growers, compared with the pre¬ 
ceding ; they are 'the corner teeth or incifores next the 
turtles, and are thofe which bear the lateft mark : this 
mark confifts in the tooth being hollow, and in the cavity 
bearing a black fpot, refembling the eye of a bean. At 
four years and a half old, thefe corner mark teeth become 
juft vilible above the gum, and the cavity is very confpi- 
cuous. At five years old, the horfe (beds his remaining 
four colt’s teeth, and his turtles then appear. At fix, his 
turtles are up, and appear white, filial), and ftiarp, near 
about which, is obfervable a fmall circle of young grow¬ 
ing flefli; the horfe’s mouth is now complete, and the 
black mark has arrived at, or very near, the upper extre¬ 
mity of the corner teeth. At feven, the two middle nip¬ 
pers fill up. Between the feventh and eighth year, all the 
teeth are filled up, the black mark from the corner teeth 
hath alfo vanifhed, and the horfe is then faid to be aged, 
and his mouth full. 
The complete progrefs of dentition in the horfe, is as 
fellows: A colt is ufually foaled with fix grinders in each 
jaw, three on each fide : the firft fet of teeth being called 
the milk fet. In ten or twelve days he puts out two nip¬ 
pers in front, above and below. In a fortnight after, the 
two middle ones appear ; and in two or three months from 
this, the corner nippers are pufiied out. From this, till 
he is a year old, no great change takes place, except that 
the cavity in the nippers begins fiightly to fill up, and 
appear worn, and the neck of each tooth is particularly 
diftinct. He has likewife now four grinders on each fide 
above and below, three of the milk fet, and one permanent. 
At a year and a half the cavity in the milk nippers is 
nearly filled up, and he has now three milk, and two per¬ 
manent grinders, in each jaw, above and below. At two 
years, what little remains of mark were in the milk nip¬ 
pers is now effaced, and they appear like the fame teeth 
in an eight-year old horfe : at this time likewife, the firft 
milk grinder above and below falls. About two years and 
a half, and always before he is three, the two front nip¬ 
pers fall out, and, as the permanent ones are fome little 
time coming to perfection, a colt then experiences fome 
difficulty in grazing. Between the third and fourth year, 
ufually about three and a half, the two next nippers ap¬ 
pear above and below', and the fecond milk grinder dif- 
appears about the fame time, leaving him now fix molar 
or cheek teeth on each fide, above and below, one colt, 
and five of the permanent fet. About four and a half, 
the two-corner nippers fall out, to give place to the laft 
fet. The laft milk grinder likewife does the lame, and 
foon after the turtles appear. From this time he is no 
longer called a colt, but a horfe : and if it is a female, on 
the falling of the corner milk nippers, (lie drops the name 
of filly, and aftumes that of mare. It is about this time 
that a horfe is fuppofed to arrive at maturity, and is then 
beft fitted for getting foals. At five and a half, in a 11a. 
tural ftate, the internal wall of the corner nippers is on a 
level with the reft, and the turtles are compkatly evolved, 
and now prelent a pointed body curved inward, with 
the outer i'urface'round and fmooth, but the inner furface 
concave and grooved. At fix years old, in.general cafes, 
the black mark or cavity in the two front lower nippers, 
which was before wearing, now becomes completely ef¬ 
faced. At feven, the fame mark or cavity in the two next, 
or intermediate teeth of the pojlerior jaw, likewife is com¬ 
pletely worn out, and the turtles appear fornething blunt¬ 
ed. At eight, the cavity in the lower corner teeth is loft, 
at which time a horfe is faid to be aged, and to have loft 
Ills mark. But I-afofte is of opinion that the age of 
a horfe may at all times be known from the teeth. After 
eight years, fays lie, the nippers, as well as the tufks, ftill 
Iliew tiie age, but chiefly the former. Let it be remem¬ 
bered that the nippers are of a pyramidal ftiape ; the 
outer part is fiat, and marked witli a furrow ; the inner 
furface is rounded, but becomes carinated or ftiarp towards 
the root; the Tides, rounded outwardly, are furrowed at 
Vol. VII. No. 422. 
their roots. It mull be recollected alfo, that the turtles 
are grooved within, rounded and fmooth on their outer 
furface; round alfo, but more or lc-fs ftiarp, at their 
roots. Thus, then, at nine years, the nippers, i. e. in¬ 
cifores ov cutting teeth, become more rounded, and the 
tudies have fcarcely any groove. At ten, the turtles have 
no grooves. From ten to twelve, no great variation. At 
twelve, the nippers are not fo broad, but thicker; the 
turtles are now quite rounded. From twelve to fourteen 
little variation. At fifteen, the nippers are become trian¬ 
gular, and lean forward ; and the turtles are generally be¬ 
come ufelefs for maftication. From fifteen to twenty the 
teeth fall more forward, and become lefs ; but at twenty 
years of age appear mod manifeftly the two notches at 
the fides of the teeth, fo that the teeth are then become 
flat, and wider apart. At-twenty-one, or twenty-two, 
the two firft molares or cheek-teeth begin to fall, or are 
fo worn down, that their roots may be obvioufly difeerned. 
At twenty-three, the fecond cheek-teeth or grinders fall ; 
at twenty-four, the fourth ; and at twenty-five, the third, 
which is very remarkable. At twenty-fix, the fifth pair 
of grinders fall; but the fixth will remain fometimes till 
thirty years of age. Yet Lafofte fays, that he has feen 
horfes of that age with four grinders on each fide, and 
others again who had loft all their grinders at feventeen ; 
the duration or permanency of the teeth thus depending 
on their original foundnefs, while their failure nnift have 
arifen from carioufnefs or difeafe. The nippers or front 
teeth are the laft that fall, generally about the age of 
thirty or thirty-one years ; then the gums and their lock¬ 
ets coalefce, become rigid, and, for want of natural teeth, 
perform the office of maftication. 
What has been remarked above, will become more ob¬ 
vious, by confulting the figures in the annexed Engrav¬ 
ing of the progrefs of dentition in the horfe. Fig. 1, re- 
prefents a milk cutting tooth, as in tlie womb in the ninth 
month ; a, the external part; b, the internal part. Fig. 2, 
a milk cutting tooth of a yearling colt. Fig. 3, a milk 
cutting tooth as it appears in the fifteenth, month. Fig. 4, 
the third grinder, as it appears in the eighth month in 
the womb. Fig. 5, the firft milk grinder at two years 
old. Fig. 6, Corner cutting tooth or nipper, in three po- 
fitions, at the third month : a, internal view ; b, exter¬ 
nal ; c, upper furface. Fig. 7, Middle cutting teeth of 
two months, in three pofitions ; a, outer appearance ; b , 
inner ; c, upper furface. Fig. 8, a cutting nipper at the 
firft month, (hewn in three pofitions : a, external furface ; 
b, inner furface; c, upper furface. Fig. 9, Tufhes as 
they appear at five years old : a, outer view ; b, inner 
view. Fig. 10, a corner cutting nipper, from four years 
to four years and a half: a, internal view ; b, external ; 
c, upper furface. Fig. 11, the middle cutting teeth as 
they appear at three years and a half: a, outer view ; b, 
inner; c, upper furface. Fig. 12, a cutting nipper of a 
three-years old horfe : a, outer furface ; b, inner; c, up¬ 
per. Fig. 13, Turtles as they appear at fix years old : 
a, outer furface ; b, inner. Fig. 14, Sixth grinder of the 
upper jaw, at fix years old : a, outer furface ; b , lide 
view from beneath ; c, inner furface from beneath. 
Fig. T5, the fame tooth as it appears at feven years, in 
fimilar pofitions. Fig. 16, cutting nippers of a horle at 
feven years. Fig. 17, reprefen's the order of the grinders 
or cheek teeth in the upper jaw at eight years old, and 
{hews the inner furfaces of thefe teeth. Fig. iS, diftindl 
view of the grinders or cheek-teeth in the lower jaw of a 
horfe, aged eight years, (hewing their upper furfaces. 
Fig. 19, outer view of the front milk teeth ready to tall, 
the roots being filled up, and become ftiarp or pointed, 
and confequently having no hold : a, the fide nipper; b, 
the middle incifor; c, the corner nipper. Fig. 20, inner 
view of the fame :• a, the fide nipper ; b, middle incifor ; 
c, the corner nipper. Fig. 21, an inverted view of the 
lame. Fig. 22, a horfe’s tuik at twenty-fix years old : a, 
front view ; b, back view. Fig. 23, cuttingteeth at feven 
years old ; a, corner nipper; b , middle incifor ; c, fide 
3 N nipper. 
