The horses’ teeth are known as Hypsodont, which like beavers and other rodents are continually erupting throughout the horses’ life. Due to this continual eruption and domesticating the Horse, it is important that they are rasped every six months. |
Number of teeth
Stallions and geldings generally have 40 teeth and mares generally have 36
12 incisors |
– 6 in the upper jaw and six in the lower jaw |
4 canines
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– 2 in the upper jaw and 2 in the lower jaw, can be found in mares |
12 premolars |
– 4 rows 3 in each row |
12 molars
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– 4 rows 3 in each row |
Groups of teeth
- Incisors
- Canines
- Premolars
- Molar
- Incisors
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These can be found at the front of the mouth, they are used for cutting or tearing foliage.
Canines
Found in stallions and geldings the canine teeth are located behind the corner incisors approx, 1 to 2 cm towards the back of the mouth. These would have been used in the wild as a tusk for fighting and now serve no purpose. They are occasionally found in mares.
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Premolars
These are the first three molars in the back of the mouth, twelve in total, once the food has been cut by the incisors it is moved to the back of the mouth by the tongue for grinding. Sometimes wolf teeth can be found; these lie next to, or just in front on the first pre molars. In the ancestors of the horse we have today, the mouth contained 4 pre molars in each row and the wolf tooth is the remnant of that. They serve no purpose and are better extracted as they can cause riding problems.
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Molars
These are found in the same row as the premolars and a directly behind, there are three in each row, twelve in total, the food passes onto the molars for the last part of grinding before it is swallowed for digestion. Collectively the pre molars and molars are known as dental arcades.
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The Mouth
As well as teeth there are a number of other important areas:
- The lips - These are used to gather food into the mouth
- The gums - The teeth are fixed into the gums by the periodontal ligaments and the gum attaches to the teeth.
- The bars - These are located behind the incisors and run to the pre molars. It is here that the bit lies and pressure is applied when ridden.
- The tongue - The tongue lies in the space behind the incisors and in between the molar arcades, it is used to propel the food bolus backwards when chewing. The bit will rest on the tongue and pressure is applied when ridden.
- Cheeks -Like ours these lie on the outside of the face, the inside of the cheeks are very soft and get cut and ulcerated due to sharp teeth.
- Hard and soft palate - These separate the nasal cavity from the oral cavity and if you look inside the mouth behind the upper incisors you will see ridges in the palate. These stop food falling out of the mouth when the horse is chewing.
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