The incisor teeth are responsible for the grasping and tearing of food, while the cheek teeth are used for grinding of feed. The horse chews in a circular motion with the lower jaw sliding along the upper teeth. This circular motion maintains the occlusive surfaces of the teeth. This motion is reduced as the horse eats smaller feed particles. The horse has evolved with the hypsodont tooth seen in the modern horse.
Hypsodont teeth are tall and continue to erupt from the gum after forming.
These teeth form in the jaw of the horse until the horse is approximately seven years old. Cementum, a hard material that forms part of the tooth, and bone are deposited, which pushes the tooth out of the skull and through the gumline. The part of the tooth that can be seen in the horse's mouth is called the clinical crown, while the portion in the jaw is called the body or reserve crown. Equine teeth have an interweaving fold of hard enamel and dentin. The enamel is important for grinding feedstuff.