Horse age and names

Names for Young Horses

• A young horse is called a foal until it is weaned.
• A male horse up to 3 years old is called a colt.
• A female horse up to 3 years old is called a filly.
• After 3 years, a female horse is referred to as a mare.
• Yearlings are young horses that are one year old.

The Importance of Age

• Horse's vigor and longevity have considerable variation.
• Most horses have passed their prime by 9 to 10 years old.
• A horse's age and height are important for competition and personal use.
• Factors such as condition and training are more important than age.
• The prime age is about 7 to 9 years.
• Horses are active into their late 20s.
• Older horses of top quality can be purchased.
• A horse's birth date is considered to be January 1 for racing and showing events.
• Owners try to have the foal born as near as possible to January 1 to try and get a growth advantage.

Using Teeth to Determine Age

• Examining teeth can provide a good estimation of age when records don't exist.
• Horses have 12 front teeth.
• Canines may appear between the incisors and molars.
• The estimation of a horse's age uses four key changes in the teeth.
• Occurrence of permanent teeth, disappearance of cups, angle of incidence, and shape of the surface of the teeth

Tooth Structure

• It's important to understand the structure of a horse's tooth to help estimate its age.
• The longitudinal and cross-section views of a tooth differ.
• Different parts become visible as the tooth wears.

Dental Formula

• Dental formula describes the number and arrangement of teeth.
• Uses letters, with I = incisor, C = canine, P = premolar, and M = molar.
• Horses have two dental formulas: deciduous (temporary teeth) and permanent teeth.
• Accurately determining age is easier with teeth when a horse is younger.
• Specific changes at specific ages can help determine age.
• External factors and breeds can affect teeth.

Abnormal Tooth Conditions

• Bite, cribbing, bishoping, floating and parrot mouth influence tooth wear and appearance.

Other Indicators of Age

• Other indicators of age include the poll and backbone becoming more prominent, joints appearing more angular and white hair appearing around temples, eyes, and nostrils.

Measuring Horses

• Height can influence a horse's price and is measured in hands.
• A hand is equal to 4 inches.
• Breed, type, and age determine weight.
• Weight is important for determining amount of feed needed, potential health problems, maximal breeding efficiency, and proper amount of medication.
• A truck scale can be used to measure weight.
• The heart girth and body length formula can be used to determine weight including heart girth just behind the elbow and body length, then multiply and divide the total by 330 for an approximate weight.

In summary

• Age, height, and weight are important when considering a horse for competition or personal use.
• Age-related, specific changes in the teeth can provide an accurate estimate of age when accurate records are not available.
• The height of a horse relates to its use and value.
• The weight of a horse can be estimated from the girth measurement and a standardized table or from the girth and body length measurements and a standardized formula when scales are not available.