Determining a Horses Age by Teeth

You can tell a horse’s age by looking at his teeth, right?

Well, maybe so, if you can remember the difference between a “full mouth” and a “smooth mouth” for starters, and can keep track of the ages when various teeth erupt and come into wear.

In a recent study, researchers examined the teeth of 490 equines (Standardbreds, Shetland ponies, Belgians, and Arabians) between the known ages of 5 and 28 years.

They confirmed what most horse owners know: aging by the teeth is an inexact science, due to the huge variation among individual horses as to the appearance of markers such as Galvayne’s groove (becomes visible at the gumline at an average age of 7 to 10, reaches biting surface at approximately age 20) and the “seven-year hook” that sometimes appears on the upper corner incisors.