South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-05
TEETH INDICATE
HORSE s ACE
Until Animal is Over Ten
Years Old NipperS Are
Good Guide.

Until a horse is over % years old
the teeth furnish an indication of
age which is fairly accurate. In
estimating the age Of a horse, only
the three pairs of front teeth or
nippers on each jaw are considered.
Horses, like human beings. have
two sets Of teeth: the first set. known
as milk teeth. being replaced by
permanent teeth. New teeth have
deep cups, or indentations. at their
centers. As the teeth wear down
these cups disappear.
a colt does not usually get its first
pair of nippers until it is a few days
old, but has all three pairs by the
time it is to 10 months old. Until
colt is years old. however. its
general appearance is relied upon
largely to indicate its age. Follow
ing is a description of the yearly
changes which ordinarily occur in
the teeth of a horse.
one year--The center pair Of milk
incisors, known as the pinchers. and
the pair next to them, known as the
intermediates, are well through the
gums and in contact, but the corner
pairs do not meet on a level
Two years.-The pinchers and the
Intermediates indicate that they are
being crowded by the permanent
teeth. as they are pushed free from
their gums at the base BY he time
the colt is 21a years old the middle
pinchers should be through. The
permanent teth are much larger
than the temporary ones.
Three years.-The middle pinch
ers are large enough for use. Their
deep cups show plainly. The milk
intermediates are about to be shed.
Four years.-The permanent in
termediates appear at 31a years and
are ready for use at 4. The corner
teeth give evidence that the perman-
ent corners are coming. The cups
in the pinchers are about one-third
gone. (The tusks, or canine teeth.
Of male colts may appear about this
time.)
Five years.-The temporary corn
er teeth are shed at p and the per-
manent ones are ready to use. The
horse has now what is known as a
full mouth. all permanent incesors
being ready TO use. The cups of the
first pair are about two-thirds gone.
Six years.-The cups in the center
pair have nearly disappeared. In
the second pair they are about two
thirds gone.
Seven years.-The cups from the
second pair are now gone There is
notch in the upper corner tooth
where it overlaps the lower one.
Eight years.-The cups having
all worn out of the lower nippers.
we now look at the upper jaw. AL
though cups remain in the center
pair, they are not deep.
Nine years.-The cups in the cen
ter pair Of nippers on the upper Jaw
have disappeared. They are still
present in the other two pairs. be-
ing fairly deep in the corner ones.
Ten years.-The cups are worn
out of the second pair on the upper
jaw, although they are still present
in the corner pair.
Older hOrses.-At II years all OF
the cups are usually worn out Of the
incisors and it becomes necessary 10
use some other indication. Estima-
ton of age may now be based upon
the angle at which the teeth meet
their change in size and shape. AS
the horse gets older. the teeth meet
more and more at an acute angle;
that is. the jaws become more
oblique. As the teeth wear down,
the shape of the worn ends changes.
from oval TO more nearly round and
finally, in an aged horse. to a near
~ triangular form. Sometimes cups
are cut or burned in the teeth of
old horses to make their mouths re-
semble those of younger animals.
This practice known as Bishop
ing" may be detected if the shape
of the tooth ano the absence of the
ring of enamel which surrounds the
natural cup are noted. After a
horse is u years old its condition is
more important than its age in de-
termining values.