I don’t have any other photos, not my horse, just curious because I am not so good at guessing. I realize it’s not an exact science, especially beyond a certain age.
I’d say 11-12?
IF that is the remnants of Galvayne’s groove on that first incisor, my guess (and that’s all it is) would be mid-20s.
7 Likes
I agree. The horse looks to be around 25.
2 Likes
Yup. 25
I recently learned that aging a horse by their teeth is actually an unreliable method. I always thought it was pretty reliable, but apparently many factors can make a horses’ teeth seem younger or older than they are. For instance, a horse could be 15 years old by have teeth that look more like 25 years old, or a horse who is 30 could have teeth that look like early 20s. It is more reliable the younger the horse is, and after the horse hits about 10-12 it can be difficult to determine age using teeth alone.
I never knew that! Maybe it’s old news to everyone else.
1 Like
I’d guess upper teens or 20’s based on the incisor groove & angle.
Pics of the stars would help a lot as they change with age - same as actual shape of the tooth getting more angular.
Here is some research into how inaccurate teeth guessing is:
Interestingly they say, “The presence of a hook on the upper corner incisor and Galvayne’s groove proved to be of no value when estimating age…”
1 Like
Thanks for linking that! I never thought to look to see if anyone had done studies on it.
Apparently the hook and galvaynes groove (according to my equine dentist) can be really bad indicators in horses who had a tough diet. Eating forage with a lot of sand or rocks in it, or a horse who likes to eat trees, can make the horse appear to be a totally different age than they are. He told me he had just worked on a horse who’s teeth he would age estimate at late 20’s, but the horse was 13 and the owner had bred and raised him!
