For thousands of years, people have determined the age of a horse by its teeth. The error of this method is minimal. With age, the animal's teeth are almost worn out, and sometimes they completely disappear, becoming almost invisible. The condition of the horse's teeth directly depends on the structure of the jaw, bite, feed quality, and also on the breed. Thoroughbred horses are endowed with a harder bone mass, unlike their simple counterparts. The skeleton of thoroughbreds is stronger, which means that the jaw is the same.
Uneven abrasion of a horse's teeth can be due to misalignment of the upper and lower jaws. The way the animal is fed also affects their abrasion. In two stallions of the same age, the condition of the teeth can vary greatly. If the first is fed only in the stable with cleaned hay and clean oats, his teeth will be better preserved. And in the second, which obtains most of the food itself in free range, the enamel of the chewing organs will be damaged by particles of sand that are present on the grass.
The structure of horse teeth
Inside the mouth are mucous tissues with vessels and nerves woven into it. Nutritiousdentin is filled with substances 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 corolla. A channel passes through its entire cavity - from the root to the corolla.
Abrading, the enamel is gradually pressed inward, taking the shape of the bottom of the bottle. If you saw off part of such a tooth, you can see the gray bone substance and white enamel. The deepest "cup" appears on the upper incisors.
The bottom of such a recess is covered with cement, which, upon completion of the abrasion of the cup, is surrounded by an enamel layer. Together they form the trace of the cup. The horse's teeth are covered with enamel on the outside. This is the hardest tissue of the ungulate body. Their strength depends on the mineral composition. The root of the tooth is the cement that also makes up the entire crown and calyx.
As the wear progresses, five layers of the tooth emerge in turn:
- cement internal;
- cement outer;
- adjacent to internal cement, enamel;
- adjacent to outer, enamel;
- dentin.
Incisors
There are six incisors in the upper and lower rows, among which there are hooks, middle teeth and edges. In a horse, they, like in all animals, change from dairy to permanent. The latter are larger and yellow in color.
The incisors of a young horse form a semicircle. With age, they gradually take on a flat shape. By old age, they straighten, the location of the upper and lower teeth of the horse changes in parallel.to each other. The incisors of young horses are adjacent to one another, like pincers. But as they grow older, the angle between them becomes sharper.
Fangs
One of the sex differences in horses is the presence of fangs. Only stallions have them: two on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw. Sometimes, in exceptional cases, mares grow weak fangs. Their condition does not help determine the age of the horse. They begin to erupt in the fourth or fifth year. However, for some individuals, their exit may occur at two years, while for others at eight years.
The stallion's newly appeared fangs are sharp. On the inside, towards the tongue, they 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 older, they change their position, turning away from the front ones. Their surface becomes smooth from the inside. The canines of the upper jaw often wear down to the base, become almost invisible, and the lower ones grow long, but no longer so sharp.
Specialists know how to identify a horse by its teeth - old ungulates usually have a stone on the fangs.
molars
First after the canines 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 the premolars and unevenly. At the age of ten months, the first ones appear, and all the molars gradually grow. There should be 12 pieces in total, which should grow before the horse reaches the age of 5 years.
Change teeth
Most foals are born without teeth. Hooks, milk incisors, appear in the first week of a foal's life. After that, the averages grow, and already in the ninth month, the edges come out.
Permanent teeth replace baby teeth before a horse is five years old. In the first year, the animal walks with temporary incisors, and after, in two or three years, permanent ones grow in their place. At the age of four, the permanent front teeth appear in place of the milk teeth, and after them, the edges. The extreme incisors grow last.
Stallions have milk teeth at the age of six months, and permanent ones grow again when the horse is five years old.
Change of chewing gums can be influenced by the quality of the food, its type, the individuality of the animal and breed characteristics.
The number of teeth in a horse, regardless of breed, is always the same. In total, an adult stallion has 40 of them, a mare has 36.
Age of animal
It is not difficult for an experienced horse breeder to determine the age of a horse by the teeth. After nine years, cups on the top row are gradually worn down. At 12 years old, the horse has almost all of its teeth worn off. After that, a specialist can recognize the age of the animal by their longitudinal deformation.
How to take care of your teeth
With the help of teeth, the animal captures food, tears off and grinds, and even uses it as a weapon for defense and attack. Such a vital organ must have a permanentcare. Unhe althy teeth prevent proper chewing of food.
Worn, diseased, inflamed teeth can cause pain to the animal. It is not uncommon for a horse to simply endure pain and show no outward signs of anxiety. Therefore, checking the oral cavity is one of the important procedures for caring for a horse in general.
If the breeder does not consider himself competent in this matter, it is necessary to contact an equestrian dentist (veterinarian specializing in horses) every six months. If necessary, he will file the horse's teeth.
In order to reduce the risk of dental diseases in an animal, it is necessary to pay attention to the process of feeding from a high-hanging feeder (reptu). The horse eats from the ground, it is not natural for him to lift his head, chewing also happens a little differently, and the edges of the teeth wear out faster. And, as you know, they grow in animals all their lives.
Self inspection
If calling a veterinarian for an examination is problematic, you can examine the mouth yourself. Requires special equipment. It is possible to identify some obvious problems of molars and incisors without them. You can make a rule to inspect the animal before each ride.
A foul putrid smell from the mouth is a sign of an unhe althy bacterial infection. It is worth checking the incisors of the animal. It is necessary to bend the upper and lower lips. The teeth should meet exactly in one line (in profile). You need to pay attention to the integrity of the enamel, it should not have cracks. Teeth should not be loose. gum color is notshould change at the junction of the crowns to the gums. Any discharge is not a good sign.
Not a diastema (gap between teeth) problem. More dangerous hooks and pardus, most often developing on the front teeth. They injure the gums of the animal on their own, and can also hit the harness. They are found on the anterior and posterior chewing teeth. In this case, you should not delay calling the veterinarian.
Extra teeth
It is very important to find a “wolf tooth” in a young horse (up to two years old). Any veterinarian can easily remove it. If not removed at an early age, then it can lead to oral injuries. There are other deviations that are better noticed at an early age. But also dew teeth can appear at a more mature age. They cause pain and discomfort to the horse.
The owner of a stallion may not understand the pet's excessive aggression, and it is most likely associated with pain. That is why it is so important to monitor the teeth of the animal and carry out their cleaning, treatment and removal in a timely manner.
