HOW THE HORSE EATS.
1. To-day we wish to find out something about a horse’s mouth, and how he eats. Can you tell us, Charlie?
2. Yes! I have looked at the horse’s mouth, and can tell about his teeth. In front, on each jaw, he has six teeth with sharp edges. These cut the grass when he feeds in the pasture.
3. Next back of these are four sharp teeth, one on each side of each jaw, and these are sometimes called tusks. They are in the same place in the jaw as the long teeth of the dog, and with them the horse can tear things.
4. Next back of the large teeth there is a place where there are no teeth, and this is the place where the bit of the bridle goes when we ride the horse or drive him in a carriage.
5. Next back are six broad, flat teeth, on each side of each jaw, and with these the horse grinds his food before he swallows it.
6. In summer, if our horses have not much to do, we turn them out to pasture, where they eat grass. In winter we give them plenty of hay and oats, and, when they work, we always feed them with grain.
7. Horses will eat grain of any kind, but they seem to like oats best. We sometimes feed them with corn-meal instead of oats.
8. The teeth of a horse change in looks every year until he is eight or nine years old, and men who are used to horses can tell how old they are by just looking at their teeth.
9. The horse does not lap his drink like a cat and dog, but he puts his mouth into the water and swallows whole mouthfuls. He will sometimes drink two or more large buckets of water at a time.