Because horses' teeth continue to grow throughout their lives and the teeth change regularly, it is possible to estimate the age of a horse by examining the teeth. This article consists of descriptions and images to help you learn this art.

The bottom row of incisors of a approximately 8 year old horse. A...Infundibulum or Cup ~~~~~ B...Root Canal or Star

To understand aging horses using their teeth, it helps to learn the names of the teeth, their structure, and the age the permanent teeth replace the deciduous (baby) teeth.

The horse has 12 deciduous incisors, later replaced with 12 permanent incisors, six on top and six on the bottom. The pair in the middle is called the central, or first, incisors. Next replaced are the intermediate (second incisors). Lastly, the corners (third incisors) are replaced.

The top surface of the tooth is called the occlusal surface. Study the photo to the left. These are the occlusal surfaces of an 8-year-old horse. Next, labeled are the infundibulum, which we will call the "cup" and the root canal or "star". Study how the cup enlarges as you move from the center to the corner incisor and how the star gets smaller.