How to tell a Horse's
age by his Teeth
by Jim Hamilton, Horse
vet
Starting at 2 years of age the horse's
front teeth (incisors) are the way to tell age.
There are three sets of incisors, central, intermediate and corners. Open
the
horse's lips and look to see if all are baby teeth or adults. The central
pair are
adult (permanent at 2 - 2 ½ years., the intermediate at 3 - 3 ½ years
and the
adult corner incisors at 4 - 4 ½ years. At 4 ½ - 5 ½ years of age some
horses
(mostly males) grow canine teeth which is that fang-like tooth just behind
the
incisors.
Now starting at six years old, you need to
look at the flat (table) surface of the
lower incisors. There is a pit called the infundibulum that is easily seen
in the
center of each incisor's flat surface. At six years of age the pits of
lower central
permanent incisors are worn out (disappear). At 7 years the lower
central
incisors lose their pit and the upper corner incisor develops a hook off
the back
edge. By 8 years, all the lower adult incisors have lost their pit but a
new small
depression (dental star) appears in the lower central incisors. At 9 years
of Age,
the horse's lower central and intermediate and intermediate and upper
central
incisors will have a dental star but the infundibulum (pit) of the upper
corner
incisor is still present - they do not disappear until the horse is eleven
years old.
From the age of eleven on, the incisors
become more triangular and the teeth
begin to project out toward the front of the mouth more with each
additional year.
The best way to get good at aging horses is by practice. Look at as many
horses
of know age and test yourself. Some day you'll save a friend from buying a
1980
model that he thought was brand new!
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