Horse teeth: how many incisors and other types, care rules and anomalies

Each owner is responsible for the he alth of animals. It must be remembered that the horse's teeth and oral cavity are the most important organs. It is necessary to constantly monitor their condition and treat diseases or injuries in a timely manner. Thoroughbred horses are considered to have a harder bone mass than regular horses. However, the nutrition and care of any horses must be appropriate.

Horse teeth: structure and features

Horses of any breed have the same number of teeth: an adult stallion has 40, and a mare has 36. Experienced horse breeders determine the age of the animal by the state of the oral cavity.As a rule, by the age of 12, literally all the teeth have been worn off in horses. This process is influenced by several factors: the quality of nutrition, defects in the location of the upper and lower jaws.

Incisors

In total, there are 12 upper and lower incisors, they are permanent and dairy. You can distinguish them by shade and size: the permanent ones are larger, stand out in a yellowish color. The incisors are divided into three types:

• lugs are located in the center;
• medium sprouts on both sides of the holds;
• edges.

The animal cuts greens with incisors, captures food and partially grinds food. It is with the incisors that horses can bite painfully.

Fangs

This species is considered a rudiment, since these teeth do not participate in chewing food. All animals have milk fangs, but most adult mares (about 96%) do not have fangs.Canines erupt in animals most often at the age of 4-5 years. However, there are exceptions when teething occurs earlier - at 2 years old, or later - at 7-8 years old.

Fangs grow in a sharp shape, with a rough inner surface and a smooth outer surface. As a rule, fangs erupt close to the incisors, and as the horse grows older, they move away from the front teeth and turn around a little. At the same time, the inner surface loses its roughness and becomes smoother.

Upper fangs in adult animals are erased to the gums, and the lower ones become blunt and become a little longer. The presence of a stone on the fangs indicates a significant age of the horse.

molars

Each horse has 12 molars (molars), 6 each in the upper and lower jaws. The empty area of the gums separates the molars from the incisors and canines. Molar teeth are divided into milk - premolars (change in an animal at the age of 2-3 years) and permanent.

Permanent grow in horses at different ages. The first appear in 10-month-old foals. Then germinate at the age of 20 months. And the last indigenous ones appear in three-year-old horses. Since the eruption stretches over several years, this feature allows you to roughly determine the age of the animal. It is the molars that are involved in chewing large and coarse food.

Defects and anomalies

The main flaw is the appearance of an extra tooth (called a "top" or "profitable"). This defect can occur in horses at different ages. The “top” is capable of delivering discomfort to the animal and causing pain. This is due to the fact that the “tops” have a cone-shaped shape with a sharp top, germinate haphazardly and lead to traumatic inflammation of the jaws, which contributes to changes in the behavior of the animal. The horse begins to chew slowly and carefully, the manner of eating changes, sometimes the animal loses its appetite.Spinning tops usually fall out naturally after some time.

Important! If the "top" does not fall out for a long time, and the animal begins to experience pain and suffer, it is recommended to seek help from a veterinarian.

Significantly less common defect in the form of the absence of incisors on the upper jaw. Naturally, such defects cannot be cured. Such horses are able to fully grow and develop, adapting to chew food like cows. An anomaly is the simultaneous germination of dairy and indigenous. At the same time, the erupting root changes its natural position relative to the gum. As a rule, shift delay problems are solved by removing the dairy.

Changing and teething in a horse

Stallions at birth, as a rule, do not have teeth. During the first 6-7 days of life, milk incisors, hooks appear. Later, medium ones grow, the edges germinate at 8-9 months.As a rule, in animals up to the age of five, dairy cows are replaced. At the age of 2-3 years, the permanent incisors replace the prolapsed milk incisors.

How to properly care for a horse's teeth

Horses tear off grass with their teeth, grab and chew food, defend and attack. Therefore, it is necessary to provide proper care for a vital organ. The horse breeder should inspect the oral cavity of horses regularly so as not to miss signs of emerging diseases. The incisors should hold tightly, evenly close, forming one line. Enamel should be free of cracks.

A properly equipped feeding place is an important point in raising an animal. It is not recommended to hang the feeder high. Under natural conditions, the horse nibbles on grass and chews it with its head down. Under other conditions, tooth wear occurs faster. Sweet treats provoke decay. Therefore, treats with sugar are not recommended for horses. A he althy and he althy treat is a regular carrot.

Advice! It is not advisable to hit the teeth with the bits, this can damage the incisors.

Diseases and their treatment

The most common is caries - a pathological process, enamel damage. Signs of the disease: small gray, brown spots appear on the tooth surface, gradually blackening, chewing movements are difficult, an unpleasant odor appears. The hard part of the tooth disintegrates, while other tissues are destroyed. Deep carious cavities can cause a split in the teeth. The upper molars are more often affected, less often the lower ones. Treatment is prescribed depending on the degree of spread of caries. In case of significant damage, the tooth is removed.

Violation of the uniform abrasion of the teeth provokes the appearance of sharp edges. A similar violation occurs in animals with a small amount of roughage. Since the internal buccal surface and tongue are constantly injured during chewing, the horse's appetite decreases.You can get rid of the problem with the help of a manual rasp, you should also review the horse's diet.

Cracks in the enamel appear due to mechanical damage (foreign elements come across in the feed - pebbles, chips, metal parts).

Injured teeth cause inflammation of the tongue and gums. Animals begin to eat less food or refuse to eat at all. Damage can be repaired with a rasp, the debris is removed under local anesthesia.

The oral he alth of horses must be monitored throughout the content. Diseases and organ damage cause loss of appetite and physical fitness of the animal. In order for the animal to fully grow and develop, you need to regularly examine the teeth of animals on your own, make a correct diet and equip the place of detention.

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