Horse's age by it's teeth

Have you ever seen an old movie where someone was looking inside a horse's mouth and then proclaims how old it is, and thought that it must just be an old wives' tale? Well believe it or not, but it actually is possible to tell how old a horse is by looking at its teeth... certain teeth grow in at certain times in the horse's life.

If you're wanting to be able to determine for yourself the age of a horse with this technique, then you need to know what to look for and how many teeth the horse should have. Keep in mind that the ages are approximate, since horses are much like people in that individuals will develop their teeth at different rates. You should be able to get a decent idea, however. Look at the sides (profile) of the teeth or (if looking to see how wide the teeth are) at the lower teeth, since it's easier to see them than it is the teeth on top.

6 months - 2 years: At a young age, the horse will only have 4 incisors. They will have their milk teeth, but these are small and shouldn't be counted. By the time the horse reaches two years of age, two more incisors should have grown in to bring the total to 6. 2 years - 4 1/2 years: At two years, there should be 6 incisors in addition to the milk teeth. The teeth will continue to grow and spread until the horse is around 4 1/2 years old, at which time they will begin to replace the milk teeth. The milk teeth will disappear as the teeth continue to grow. 5 years - 9 years: It can be difficult to estimate age within this range because there are very few indicators. The milk teeth have disappeared, and the teeth are growing larger (especially the teeth toward the back.) If the teeth still seem somewhat small or appear to be smaller in the back, the horse is likely toward the younger end of this scale; if the teeth are all large, then the horse is likely older. 10 years - 15 years: At 10 years of age, it becomes a bit easier to tell the age of the horse. A groove, known as Galvayne's groove, begins to appear at the top of the rear incisors. This groove will continue to grow until the horse is around 15 years of age, at which point the groove will go down the entire length of the tooth. 15 years - 25 years: This is another span that is hard to tell the age correctly, because there aren't many indicators. As the horse gets older, the Galvayne's groove will slowly begin to disappear starting at the top of the tooth. By 25 years of age, the groove may only appear on the bottom half of the tooth... though it may still be on part of the upper half as well. 25 years - 30 years: During these years Galvayne's groove continues to disappear. A horse with no groove or with only a small groove at the bottom of the tooth is likely 30 years old or older.