Ageing A Horse By Its Teeth

Have you ever purchased a horse with no “paper” or gotten a horse from a rescue?  Sometimes sellers are unsure of how old their horses are when their horses don’t have papers or are up for adoption or rescue. Aging a horse by teeth will help you determine its lifespan.

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Common Indicators of Aging a Horse by Teeth

Aging a Horse by Teeth: — Shape of the Teeth The concept here is that the shape of a horse’s teeth will change throughout wear and tear over the years of his life. Permanent Teeth — Typically, by the time a horse is five years old, he will have all of his permanent teeth.  So, if he doesn’t have all of his permanent teeth, he must be somewhere between one and five.

Aging a Horse by Teeth: — Cups in Teeth When a horse has first developed his permanent teeth, there will be a “cup” on their surface, almost like a bowl shape.  Angles of Teeth: — Without going into too much vet jargon, the angle of where a horse’s top row of teeth meets its bottom row of teeth can be used to help determine a horse’s age.

Aging a Horse by Teeth: Age Accuracy

The first of these is young horses.  Horses under the age of five are constantly growing and so are their teeth.  A young horse’s teeth can change immensely within a 2-3 month time period ...

Four Groups Method

In order to combat this unavoidable ambiguity, the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) created a four-group ageing method.  Basically, they categorize horses into one of four age groups based on the analysis of their teeth.

While ageing a horse by its teeth isn’t an exact science, it can help horse owners have a better idea of how old their horses are.  There are many different factors vets and dentists have to consider when they are ageing a horse by its teeth, and these factors change in importance and relevance over the lifespan of a horse.

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