Horse Measurements

1
Horse Aging Using Teeth Georgia
Agricultural Education Curriculum Office By Mr.
Tim Savelle, Jennifer Osborne, and Dr. Frank
Flanders July 2006
2
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

3
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)

4
Equine Tooth Structure

• Horses have 24 temporary teeth and 42 permanent
  teeth

5
Equine Tooth Structure

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

6
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.

7
Tooth EmergenceTemporary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
Temporary pincers Birth - 10 days
Temporary intermediates 4 6 weeks
Temporary corners 6 10 months
8
Tooth EmergencePermanent Teeth
6 years old
9
Tooth Wear
As horses age, cups disappear from incisors
15 years old
6 years old
As horses age, teeth become more triangular-shaped
10
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.
11
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
12
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
13
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.
15
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following
horse

1. 7 years
2. 14 years
3. 21 years
4. 28 years

Wear No Cups
16
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following
horse

1. 1 year
2. 8 years
3. 17 years
4. 26 years

17
Aging Using Teeth
Which horse is older?
A
B