Did you know?? - Some Dental Facts of Live Horses

• ... that a horse has between 36 and 44 permanent teeth? If it's a stallion or gelding, he has 44 permanent teeth, while a mare has 36-40.
• ... the front teeth, called incisors, are designed to shear off grass and other forage? They have six upper and six lower incisors.
• ... that their back teeth are called molars and are designed to grind food into a digestible form? A horse has 12 upper and 12 lower molars.
• ...a stallion or gelding has two upper and two lower canine teeth that are remnants of "fighting teeth" once used by their ancestors for protecting the herd? These teeth sit in a gap between their incisors and molars, known as the bars of the mouth.
• ... that mares rarely have canine teeth?
• ... that most stallions and geldings, and some mares, have two small upper wolf teeth that are remnants of molars that no longer serve a useful function? These small teeth sit just in front of the molars on the upper jaw; there rarely will be wolf teeth in the lower jaw.
• ... that because a horse uses his molars to grind food, these teeth continue to erupt from his gums throughout their lifetime? This helps to ensure that he has plenty of grinding ability as he matures. But because of this continuous growth, minor misalignments are likely to become more and more pronounced with time. A properly balanced mouth is very important for maintaining good health in their older years.
• ... that a horse's incisors also continue to erupt throughout it's lifetime? In a natural grazing environment they'll be worn down as they are used to tear grass and other forage. However, a stalled horse won't use his incisors this way which can result in overgrowth. If a hors's incisors become too long, they'll actually prevent his molars from contacting one another, compromising his ability to chew effectively.
• ... that, like a humen, a horse has two sets of teeth throughout his lifetime? The deciduous or "baby" teeth (called caps) are usually all pushed out and replaced by permanent teeth by the time they reach five years of age. Now you know something about horses' teeth!!

Just for your information

Morgan:

1. The color black with no lighter areas show up in 8% of registered Morgans.
2. The Color bay, from reddish to mahogany bay, with black legs, manes and tails, shows up in 28% of Morgans.
3. The color BLack Dark Chestnut - a black horse except it has red hairs on the coronets, pasterns or back of the fetlocks - shows up 4% of the time.
4. The majority of the Morgans are chestnuts - from golden red to dark reddish brown - 57%!
5. Morgans also come in palomino 1% of the time - they can be very pale creamy yellow to golden yellow, with flaxen, silver or white manes and tails.
6. They even come in duns, with a dorsal stripe and markings on the legs - the mane and tail are not black! And this is with a yellowish dun color. Not often does this color show up - only 0.05% of the time.
7. Buckskins are allowed, from a darker shade of dun with black dorsal stripe and lower legs and a black mane and tail - 0.3%
8. And that elusive grey color shows up on 1% of the horses.
9. Another note is that white markings are not allowed above the knees or hocks except on the face.

Clydesdale:
From the Clydesdale Breeders of the United States:
The most common colors in the Clydesdale breed are bay; black, brown and chestnut are also seen with roans (solid body color with white hairs throughout the coat) in all of the colors. The preferred markings are four white socks to the knees and hocks and a well defined blaze or bald face. The show ring does not discriminate on color with light roans and horses with dark legs being considered equally with horses of the more solid colors and traditional markings.

Question & Answer

• Chocolate Palomino: is a dark liver chestnut (chocolate colroed) with a golden sheen and pure white mane and tail. It is not to be confused with the Rocky Mountain Horse or a liver chestnut, like Rex Allen's Coco.
• Zorro rode 5 horses in the movie, The Mask of Zorro, 4 of them were Friesians and 1 was an Andalusian.
• There is an article on the Florida Cracker Horses elsewhere in this newsletter, check it out!

Some questions for you:

1. The stallion 'Denmark' is the designated Foundation Sire of what breed? Can you give his birth year too?
2. What Confederate Commanders rode Saddlebred horses?
3. Is the Australian Stock Horse and the Australian Waler the same horse?

   (Answers next newsletter.)

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   More Bits 'N' Pieces about real horses in the next newsletter.

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