The following rules will enable any man to ascertain with tolerable certainty the age of any horse. Every horse has six teeth above and six below; before he arrives at the age of three he sheds his two middle teeth by the young teeth rising and shoving the old ones out of their place. When he arrives at the age of three, he sheds one more on each side of the middle teeth; when four years old he sheds two corner and the last of his fore teeth; between four and five he cuts his under tusks, and when five will cut his upper tusks, and have a mouth full and complete, and the teeth will have hollows of a very dark brown colour. At six years old the grooves and hollows in a horse's mouth will begin to fill up a little and their tusks have their full growth, with their points sharp, and a little concave. At seven years old the grooves and hollows will be pretty well filled below. At eight the whole of the hollows and groves are filled up, and you see the appearance of what is termed smooth below. At nine years old, the point of the tusk is worn off, and the part that was concave begins to fill up and become rounded. Between nine and ten years of age a horse generally looses the marks of the mouth. After nine years old a wrinkle comes on the eyelid at the upper corner of the lower lid, and every year thereafter he has one well defined wrinkle for each year over nine. If, for instance, a horse has three wrinkles, he is twelve; if four, he is thirteen, &c.
329. HEAD, NECK OR LUNGS
How to tell by looking at a horse whether there is anything the matter with his head, neck or lungs. A knowledge of this is as useful as it is simple. If there is nothing the matter with the head, neck or lungs of a horse, the nostrils will have a clean, healthy, and bright appearance, but if there is, they have always a dirty, muddy, or in some way an unhealthy appearance.
330. PROF. MANDIE'S HORSE TAMING
Take finely grated horse caster, or the warty excrescence from the horse's leg, oils of rhodium, and cumin, keep these in separate bottles well corked; put some of the oil of cumin on your hand and approach the horse on the windy side that he may smell it; he will then move towards you, then rub some of the cumin on his nose; give him a little of the castor on sugar, salt, or anything he likes, and get 8 or 10 drops of the oil of rhodium on the point of his tongue; you can then get him to do anything you please. Follow up your advantage by all the kindness and attention possible towards the animal, and your control is certain. This is only fit for nervous horses; but the railroad system is certain. In all kinds of ugly horses it is the best of methods.
331. BOTTS IN HORSES
This may be relied on as a certain and safe remedy for botts in horses. When the horse is attacked, pound some common glass very fine, sift it through a fine piece of muslin, take a tablespoonful, put it inside a ball of dough, (not mixed with the dough,) then put it down the horse's throat, and in from two to five minutes the horse will get up and feel and will be well. The moment the glass touches the botts though they may have eaten their way into the coats of the stomach, so that but a small portion is exposed, they will let go their hold, will pucker up and be driven off by the bowels. This remedy is perfectly safe, and is the only certain cure for botts under the sun. Try it.
332. RING BONE AND SPAVIN
Take of sweet oil, 4 oz.; spirits of turpentine, 2 ozs.; oil if stone, 1/2 oz. Mix and apply three times a day. If the horse is over four years old, or in any case where there is not sufficient, in addition to it, you will fit a bar of lead just above it, wiring the ends together, so it constantly wears upon the enlargement, and the two together, will cure nine cases out of every ten in six weeks.