Horse Measurements

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Horse Aging Using Teeth Georgia
Agricultural Education Curriculum Office By Mr.
Tim Savelle, Jennifer Osborne, and Dr. Frank
Flanders July 2006
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The Importance of Determining the Age of Horses

• Uses
• Validate advertised age when buying
• Confirming age when racing or showing
• Feeding for proper nutrition at various life
  stages

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Aging by Teeth

• An art that requires skill and experience
• Very old method of aging horses
• Error increases with horses age
• Becomes an educated guess after horse is older
  than 14 years
• Stabled horses tend to appear younger (less tooth
  wear)
• Pastured horses tend to appear older (more tooth
  wear)

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Equine Tooth Structure

• Horses have 24 temporary teeth and 42 permanent
  teeth

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Equine Tooth Structure

• Age is determined using the 12 front teeth
  (incisors)

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Mouthing a Horse for Age

• In Real Life Hold the tongue out and to the side
  with your hand. This restraint provides an
  unobstructed view and is not painful to the horse.

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Tooth EmergenceTemporary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
Temporary pincers Birth - 10 days
Temporary intermediates 4 6 weeks
Temporary corners 6 10 months
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Tooth EmergencePermanent Teeth
6 years old
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Tooth Wear
As horses age, cups disappear from incisors
15 years old
6 years old
As horses age, teeth become more triangular-shaped
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Galvaynes Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears
and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses
age
Usually appears around the age of 10 years.
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Galvaynes Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears
and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses
age
Groove is usually half way down at age 15
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Galvaynes Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears
and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses
age
By age 20 the groove usually extends the full
length of the tooth
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Galvaynes Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears
and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses
age
Groove begins to recede around age 21
14
Galvaynes Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears
and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses
age
Groove is halfway gone by age 25 and disappears
completely around age 30.
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Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following
horse

• 7 years
• 14 years
• 21 years
• 28 years

Wear No Cups
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Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following
horse

• 1 year
• 8 years
• 17 years
• 26 years

17
Aging Using Teeth
Which horse is older?
A
B