AGING HORSES BY AN EXAMINATION OF THEIR INCISOR TEETH - AN (IM)POSSIBLE TASK

It is generally considered that the age of a horse can be determined b y examining its incisor teeth, However, the criteria used to determine age from dental configurations differ widely. The existence of this v ariety of rules and guidelines was the challenge for the present exami nation, Detailed descriptions of the incisor teeth of 212 horses of re gistered age were recorded and the results were compared with the age criteria of various authors. The time at which teeth were shed and the appearance of dental stars seemed to be more reliable features than t he disappearance of the cups, The disappearance of the marks occurred four years later than usually stated, Other criteria, such as the pres ence of the seven-year notch and Galvayne's groove, were too variable and inconsistent to be reliable for the determination of age.