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REGARDING A HORSES MOUTH. Hardest Time in a Colts Existence Is the Period When Cutting Most of Its Teeth. The hardest time in a colts existence if from the age of two and one-half to three and one-half years, for this is when he is cutting most of his teeth, getting in that period sixteen new teeth of the forty that is the full complement. Careful examination of a horses mouth should at all times be the duty of those who are caring for them, but more especially at that time, when slight surgical interference in the way of lancing ami removing the "caps", may restore to perfect health a colt that Jias been off his feed, is falling away and is generally run down. Among the more common forms of injury to a horses mouth is that produced by the use of improper bits: curb bits with a heavy bar as a mouthpiece and the damage resulting is too frequently overlooked, while all the attention is paid to the teeth. The seat of this injury is in the lower jaw, in the spaces between the first of the grinders and the tushes, in what is called the dihotema, the place for the bit. The bar of the bit continually pressing down on the soft tissues which cover that portion of the lower jaw injures the lxuie, with the result that pieces of it are broken. oft and slough away. This lowering of the resting f place of the bar of the bit brings it up against the teeth, where it is held in so firm a position that in a puller it would be next to impossible for anyone to hold him. The expression one frequently sees in newspapers and novels written by men who are supposed to have some acquaintance with the handling of horses, of "a horse taking the bit between his teeth and running away," is a self-evident absurdity. Once get the bar of the bit between a horses teeth and a driver would soon have him under control. A good way to prevent this firm purchase of the bit against the first of the lower- grinders is to reduce the height of these grinders by cutting them upwards and backwards, so that the bar of the bit would more readily slip between the teeth when you pull on your reins for the" purpose of stopping. The cutting, trimming, filing, etc., of horses teeth is by no means as difficult and dangerous a job by one who understands the business as might be supposed. Out of twenty horses there will be found, perhaps, only one that will not stand perfectly quiet while the operator is clipping oif, with heavy cutting forceps projecting and irregular pieces of teeth that in the upper jaw are cutting into the cheek, or in -the lower jaw are cutting into and lacerating the tongutv It must not be overlooked that changes in the shape of a horses teeth are continually- taking place by the growtli that goes on after full development, which is up to seven vears. That growth which is one-eighth inch on the teeth of each jaw in the course of the year is essential for the wear that goes on; The Wear depends to a great, extent on the kind of food a horse is given, but the change in shape varies according to the character of the substance; of each individual tooth, a hard upper grinder wearing away more of the lower grinder with which it is brought in opposition,- if the structure of the latter consists; for example, of an excess of chalk and vice versa. A curious fact to note is the absence of feeling in a horses teeth. You can stick a probe into the soft pulp of a tooth and apparently the animal does not feel it, or show that he has been touched, as he would if you were to stick a pin into his cheek or any of liis muscular tissue. And it is the same when using the cutting forceps on the teeth. He seems to feel no pain. All of which seems to go to prove that a horses tooth has no sensitive nerve in the sense in which the human tooth has. It may be said that a horse shows in the process of grinding his food that his teeth hurt him, but it will always be found that the pain proceeds from the soft tissues, inflammation of the mucous membrade from decayed teeth, or an abcess. at the root of the tooth and consequent pain from pressure. Another important point to lay stress upon is the- fact that the cutting and breaking of the teeth in no way Jnjures them, and this is proof of the theory of the absence of the? sensitive nerve. As regards the kind of bit to use, a soft, flexible one is far the best, and a young horse so bitted when being broken will never get fractious, and will have as nearly a perfect mouth as his driver permits, for, as has been truly said, it does not matter so much what --kind of a bridle or bit you use in controllhg a fractious horse as it does who holds the reins attached to the bit. W. R. Gilbert.
