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 horse’s 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
Canines
Incisors
Wolf Tooth (when present)
Mandible
Premolars
Molars
Maxilla
Horses have 24 temporary teeth and 42 permanent teeth

5. Equine Tooth Structure
Central Incisors
(also pincers or nippers)
Intermediate Incisors
Corner Incisors
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 Emergence Temporary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
Temporary pincers: Birth - 10 days
Temporary intermediates: 4 – 6 weeks
Temporary corners: 6– 10 months

8. Tooth Emergence Permanent Teeth
6 years old
Canine teeth appear: 4-5 years
Permanent corners: 4 ½ years
Permanent intermediates: 3 ½ years
Permanent pincers: 2 ½ years

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. Usually appears around the age of 10 years.
Galvayne’s 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. Groove is usually half way down at age 15
Galvayne’s 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. By age 20 the groove usually extends the full length of the tooth
Galvayne’s 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. Groove begins to recede around age 21
Galvayne’s 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. Galvayne’s 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. Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following horse
7 years
14 years
21 years
28 years
Wear – No Cups

16. Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Oval Shaped Teeth
No Canines
1 year
8 years
17 years
26 years

17. Aging Using Teeth
Which horse is older? A B