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RE: [RC] horses age by teeth - heidiFor over a year now, every vet who has looked at Gabriel's teeth has said that he looks to be about 5 yrs older than his papers show (his papers show that he is 16 today). I have contacted his breeder, who says his papers are correct. I had him floated last week, and asked the vet a lot about his teeth. She said that at around 20 yrs, the front incisors (where they meet at the gums) form more of an invented "v" shape. I am under the impression that this is a pretty predictable and noticeable change at around 20 yrs. He doesn't have abnormally short teeth from wear or anything. Can anyone who knows about telling a horses age by his teeth comment on my situation? Can teeth "lie" about a horses age? Gabriel is in great health and completed many miles last year. Except for the teeth issue, I wouldn't think he was older than 16. I wouldn't trade him for anything, regardless of his age, but I also want to make sure I'm not asking too much of him if he is older than the records show. By the mid-to-late teens, there can be as much as 5-7 years' discrepancy between the "dental" age and the chronological age. Even at 3, the teeth "age" as much as 6 months one way or the other of the actual age. In the other extreme, I have a 31-year-old stallion that the dentist aged at 18-20 when he was really 25, so it works both ways... Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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