For thousands of years, people have determined the age of a horse by the teeth. The error of this method is minimal. With age, the animal's teeth almost wear out, and sometimes they completely disappear, becoming almost invisible. The condition of the horse’s teeth directly depends on the structure of the jaw, the bite, the quality of the feed, and also on the breed. Thoroughbred horses are endowed with a harder bone mass, unlike their simple counterparts. The skeleton of thoroughbred individuals is stronger, and therefore the jaw is the same.
Uneven erasing of a horse's teeth can occur due to improper location of the upper and lower jaw. Their abrasion is also affected by the way the animal is fed. In two stallions of the same age, the condition of the teeth can vary greatly. If the former is fed only in the stable with cleaned hay and pure oats, his teeth will be better preserved. And in the second, which most of the fodder itself gets in free grazing, the masticatory of the masticatory organs will be damaged by particles of sand that are present on the grass.
Horse tooth structure
Inside the mouth are mucous tissues with vessels and nerves interwoven into it. Dentin is filled with nutrients through the blood vessels of the pulp. The hidden part of the tooth located in the gum is called the root, and the visible part is called the nimbus. Through its entire cavity - from the root to the corolla, the channel passes.
Abrasion, the enamel is gradually pressed inward, taking the form of the bottom of the bottle. If you saw off part of such a tooth, you can see a gray bone substance and white enamel. The deepest “cup” appears on the upper incisors.
The bottom of such a depression is covered with cement, which, upon completion of the abrasion of the cup, is surrounded by an enamel layer. Together, they form a trace of the calyx. The horse's teeth are enameled on the outside. This is the hardest tissue of the hoofed organism. Their strength depends on the mineral composition. The root of the tooth is the cement of which the entire crown and cup are also made.
As the abrasion occurs, five layers of the tooth appear alternately:
- cement internal;
- cement outdoor;
- adjacent to the internal cement, enamel;
- adjacent to the outside, enamel;
- dentine.
Incisors
In the upper and lower row there are six incisors, among which there are hooks, middle teeth and edges. In a horse, they, like in all animals, are replaced from dairy to permanent. The latter are distinguished by a larger size and yellow color.
The incisors of a young horse form a semicircle. With age, they gradually take a flat shape. By old age, they are straightened, in parallel, the arrangement of the upper and lower teeth of the horse to each other. The incisors in young horses adjoin one another, like ticks. But as they grow older, the angle between them becomes more acute.
Fangs
One of the gender differences in horses is the presence of fangs. Only stallions have them: two on the upper jaw and two on the lower. Sometimes, in exceptional cases, mild fangs grow in mares. Their condition does not help determine the age of the horse. They begin to erupt in the fourth or fifth year. However, in some individuals, their release can occur in two years, and in others in eight years.
Only the fangs appearing on the stallion are sharp. On the inside, to the tongue, have a rough surface. Their front side is smooth. At the beginning of growth, the fangs are placed closer to the incisors. Gradually, as the animal grows up, they change their position, turning away from the front. Their surface inside becomes smooth. The fangs of the upper jaw often wear to the base, become almost invisible, and the lower ones grow long, but not so sharp.
Experts know how to identify a horse by the teeth - in old ungulates, as a rule, a stone is present on fangs.
Permanent teeth
The first after the fangs in the dentition are premolars - six pieces at the top and bottom. The change from dairy to permanent occurs in two to three years. They are followed by molars. These molars grow a little later than premolars and unevenly. At ten months of age, the first appear, and gradually all the molars grow. In total there should be 12 pieces, which must grow before the horse reaches the age of 5 years.
Teeth change
In most cases, foals do not have teeth at birth. Hooks, milk incisors, appear in the first week of a foal's life. After the average grows, and already in the ninth month outskirts come out.
Permanent teeth are replaced by milk before the horse is five years old. In the first year, the animal walks with temporary incisors, and then, in two or three years, permanent ones grow in their place. At the age of four, permanent front teeth appear on the site of the milk, and after them - small spots. Extreme incisors grow last.
Foals of milk teeth appear in stallions already in half a year, and already permanent ones re-grow when the horse turns five years old.
The quality of the feed, its type, the individuality of the animal and the breed characteristics can affect the change of masticatory.
The number of teeth in a horse, regardless of breed, is always the same. In total, an adult stallion has 40, and a mare has 36.
Animal age
It is not difficult for an experienced horse breeder to determine the age of a horse by the teeth. After nine years, the cups on the top row gradually grind. At the age of 12, a horse has almost all teeth grinded. After this, the specialist can recognize the age of the animal by their longitudinal deformation.
How to care for your teeth
With the help of teeth, the animal captures food, tears and grinds, and even uses it as a weapon for defense and attack. Such a vital organ should have ongoing care. Unhealthy teeth interfere with proper chewing of food.
Worn, diseased, inflamed teeth can cause pain in the animal. There are frequent cases when the horse simply suffers pain and does not show external signs of anxiety. Therefore, oral testing is one of the important procedures for caring for a horse as a whole.
If the horse breeder does not consider himself competent in this matter, it is necessary to contact the equestrian dentist (a veterinarian specializing in horses) once every six months. If necessary, he will file a horse’s teeth.
In order to reduce the risks of dental diseases in animals, it is necessary to pay attention to the feeding process from a highly suspended feeder (reptuha). A horse eats from the ground, it is not natural for her to lift her head, chewing also occurs in a slightly different way, and the edges of the teeth wear off more quickly. And, as you know, they grow in animals all their lives.
Self inspection
If it is problematic to call a veterinarian for examination, you can examine your mouth yourself. Special equipment will be required. Identify some of the obvious problems of molars and incisors without them. You can make yourself a rule, before each ride on horseback to inspect the animal.
An unpleasant putrefactive smell from the mouth is a sign of an unhealthy bacterial infection. It is worth checking the incisors of the animal. It is necessary to bend the upper and lower lips. The teeth should close exactly in one line (in profile). You need to pay attention to the integrity of the enamel, there should be no cracks on it. Teeth should not stagger. The color of the gums should not change at the places where the crowns adjoin the gums. Any discharge is not a good sign.
Diastema is not a problem (the gap between the teeth). Hooks and ramps, most often developing on the front teeth, are more dangerous. They injure the gums of the animal on their own, and can also hit the harness. They are found on the front and rear chewing teeth. Pull with a call to the veterinarian in this case is not worth it.
