Age of Equine Its All in the Teeth

Age of Equine It’s All in the Teeth

Determining Age • Age affects usefulness and value • Type, number and appearance of incisor teeth help determine correct age – 5 years or less – some combination range from all milk teeth (temporary teeth) to all permanent incisors – 6 to 12 years – number of cups (indentations) in permanent incisor teeth – 12 years & over – examine cross section and slant of incisor teeth

Types of Teeth • Adult horses typically have 36 -44 teeth – 12 Incisors – 12 Pre-molars – 12 Molars • May have – Canines (4) – Wolf teeth (2) (6 upper and 6 lower)

The Numbers Make the Difference • Immature horses – Total 24 temporary teeth • Stallions & Geldings – 40 -44 permanents – Most have 4 canines • Mares – Total 36 -38 permanent teeth – Mares are less likely to have canines

Types of Teeth: • Temporary Teeth – small, white, oval shaped; wider side to side than front to rear • Permanent Teeth – yellow, larger than temporaries with a general round surface • Molars – used for grinding on each side • Incisors – used for cutting

What’s the Difference • 3 sets of incisors – Centrals, Middle, Corner Incisors – 12 Incisors: • 6 upper & 6 lower • Incisors have a cup or indentation in center of tooth that wears down with age and ultimately disappears

What’s the Difference • Pre-molars and Molars – 12 pre-molars – 12 molars – Often called cheek or jaw teeth – Used for grinding food

Wolf Teeth • Wolf teeth are similar to our wisdom teeth – Some horses have them, others don’t – Some have to be removed, others don’t – No functional purpose today • Residual “appendage” from past • “Wolf” used to mean “bad” – appears in front of upper molars

• As the horse ages: – Teeth are worn down (height) – Change shape (oval to triangle) – Cup is worn away

The Breakdown 1 year – All temporary incisors present / Cups gone from centrals 2 year - All temporary incisors present / cups gone 3 year - Temporary central incisors replaced with permanent central incisors

• 4 years - Temporary intermediate incisors replaced with permanent intermediate incisors • 5 years – All temporary incisors replaced with permanent incisors. Horse is full mouthed. • 6 years – Cups gone from lower central incisors • 7 years – Cups gone from lower intermediate incisors • 8 years - Cups gone from lower corner incisors

• 9 years - Cups gone from upper central incisors • 10 years - Cups gone from upper intermediate incisors • 11 years - Cups gone from all incisors. Horse is smooth mouthed.

Extras • A hook (worn edge) may appear on upper corner incisors at 7 to 11 years • Galvayne’s Groove – Line that appears on the upper corner incisors around 10 to 11 years, gets longer as horse ages. • Angle of Incidence – angle at which the incisor teeth meet. Increases and teeth wear down as horse ages.

Extras • Floating – Filing off the sharp edges of a horse’s teeth with a rasp-like instrument.

• Bishoping – The practice of artificially drilling, burning or staining cups in teeth of older horses. – Makes them appear younger