MODULE 1 DETERMINATION OF THE AGE, HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

14 to 16 hands height (hh) at 380 to 550 kg

Light riding

15.2 hh to 17 hh at 500 to 600 kg

larger riding

16 to 18 hands @ 700 to 1,000 kg

heavy or draft horses 

true or false; donkeys have ergot

false, they dont 

lumbar vertebrae of:

Horse

Donkey

6

5

_______are taxonomically the same animals as horses. The distinction between a horse and pony is commonly drawn on the basis of height especially for competition purpose

ponies 

An animal 14.2 h or over is usually considered to be a horse and one less than 14.2 h a pony, these are

traditional standards

Ponies have:

• thicker ___, _____, and overall ____

• Shorter ____

• Wider _____

• Heavier ___

• SHorter and thicker ___

• SHort ___ with _____ foreheads

• ______ temperaments

• High lvel of _____________________

• mane, tails, overall coat

• legs

• barrels

• bone

• neck

• head, broad

• calmer

• equine intelliginces

Signs of a healthy horse 

• (1) Hair is shiny and sleek;

• (2) No _____ ___ can be seen;

• (3) Muscles are well fit;

• (4) Shows signs of interest in surroundings

• (5) Acts energetic;

• (6)Not too thin or fat;

• (7) Normal riding does not produce sweating or heavy breathing;

• (8) Does not act _____ ____ and walks normally Eats all he is given;

• (9) Bright eyes, alert ears, and normal vital signs;

• (10) Does not act tired, sluggish, or lethargic;

• (11) Thick or _____ mane and tail and;

• (12) Strong hooves that are shaped normally.

2. gras belly

3. tender footed

4. shiny mane

In horses, which have a ________ dentition, age can be estimated by the eruption times and general appearance of the (lower incisor) teeth

hypsodont

Age determination of brachydont species is solely based on

dental eruption times

• The most appropriate teeth for estimating age in horses are the (____) incisors.

• The deciduous incisors are smaller than the permanent teeth, and the surfaces of their crowns are whiter and have several small ______________ and _______

• lower\

• longitudinal ridges, grooves

• permanent incisors are larger and more __________in shape.

• Their crown surfaces are largely covered with _____ and have a yellowish appearance.

• The upper incisors have 2 distinct longitudinal grooves on their labial surface, while the lower incisors have only 1.

rectangular

cement 

The dental star consists of yellowish brown secondary dentin that fills up the _____ ______y and appears at the occlusal surface as the tooth wears.

pulp cavity

Dental star’s shape and position, as well as the appearance of the “____ ____” in its center, are related to age

white spot

funnel-like infoldings in the occlusal surface

cups or infundibula

enamel infundibular bottoms

market 

The occlusal surfaces of recently erupted incisors are ________, but with age they subsequently become trapezoid, round, and then triangular, with the apex toward the lingual side

elliptical

In young horses, the upper and lower incisors are positioned in a straight line. With increasing age, the angle between upper and lower incisors becomes more _____

acute

The Galvayne’s groove and the “___ __ ______,” which have traditionally been used as age indicators, are variable, inconsistent, and thus of little value for age determination in horses

7-year hook

The probability of error increases as age advances and becomes a guess after the horse reaches what age?

10-14 

Stabled animals tend to appear younger than they are, whereas those grazing sandy areas, such as _____ horse , appear relatively old because of wear on the teeth.

range horses

In general, they have passed their physical peak when they reach what age?

this age, the chance of an unsoundness being present has increased

9-10 years of age

Age determination is made by a study of the 12 front teeth, called ________.

The two central pairs both above and below are called centers, _______, or nippers. The four teeth adjacent to these two pairs are called ___________, and

the outer four teeth are designated as _______.

• incisors

• pincers

• intermediates

• corners 

Adult horses have 24 ___ teeht 

molatr

• may also be called "baby" or "milk teeth."

• tend to erupt in pairs at 8 days, 8 weeks, and 8 months of age

Temporary teeth

Permanent teeth are larger, longer, darker in color, and do not have the well-defined ___ joining root and gum that temporary teeth do

neck

The four center permanent teeth appear (two above and two below) as the animal approaches 3 years of age, the intermediates at 4, and the corners at 5. This constitutes a "________."

full mouth

• Young permanent teeth have deep indentures in the center of their surfaces, referred to as _____.

• Those in the upper teeth are _____than the ones below, hence they do not wear evenly with the surface or become "smooth" at equal periods of time

• cups 

• deeper 

smooth mouth appears at what age

11 years

this method is second in accuracy only to the appearance of permanent teeth in determining age.

disapperance of cups

As cups disappear, _____ ___ appear ó first as narrow, yellow lines in front of the central enamel ring, then as dark circles near the center of the tooth in advanced age.

dental stars

This angle of incidence or "contact" changes from approximately ____ to 180 degrees in young horses, to less than a ___ angle as the incisors appear to slant forward and outward with aging.

• 160

• right 

As the slant increases, the surfaces of the lower corner teeth do not wear clear to the back margin of the uppers so that a ______, notch, or hook is formed on the upper corners at 7 years of age.

It may disappear in a year or two, reappear around 12 to 15 years, and disappear again thereafter.

dovetail

They may be twice as wide (side to side) as they are deep (front to rear)

Young horses

the back (inside) surfaces become oval, then triangular at about 15 years

8 to 12 yrs old horses

may be twice as deep from front to rear as they are wide.

20 year old

Young horses have a total 24 deciduous or milk teeth - 12 incisors and 12 _______ or grinders.

premolars 

Mature male horses have ___ to ___ permanent teeth and

mares have to _depending on the number of canine teeth presen

40-42

36-40

Canine or bridle teeth erupt in the inter dental space at __ to _ years of age in male horses.

4-5 

They will only appear 20-25% of the time in mares and are usually smaller than those found in males.

Canine or bridle teeth

The first premolar (wolf-tooth) may be absent or rudimentary. In most horses it is only present in the _______(upper) jaw.

maxillary

Tip of the dental star first appears as a wide thin yellow line in _____ of the internal enamel surrounding the cup.

in old age dental star appears dark, round and _______ in the tooth changes its shape from oval to angular are shown in the cross-sectional views as wear progresses toward the root

front

centered

true or false: At 11 or 12 years of age when cups are absent from all lower and upper incisors the horse is said to be "smooth-mouthed"

true

true or false: With practice, one can become proficient when estimating ages between 6 and 12 years by using the presence or absence of the dental stars in the incisors.

false; presence or absence of cups

At what age do the estimation of age and accuracy decreases 

older than 12 

To age an older horse the following should be used:

1. Galvaynes grrve

2. Table surface Shape

3. Incisive arcade

a. At 9 to 10 years - Galvayne’s groove appears at ___ ______

b. At 15 years - Groove is________ down labial surface of incisor.

c. At 20 years - Groove extends entire _______of labial surface of incisor.

At 25 years - Groove disappears from upper __ of tooth.

At 30 years - Groove disappears ______from the tooth.

gum line

half way

lenght

1/2]

completely