My 3.5 year old could be 2.5yrs!

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Neburu

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I recently purchased a 3.5 year old cob gelding. He's been broken and has been hacking out in company with me etc.

Today I got a message from someone saying that he's only 2.5yrs old.

Story goes he was born at a place near me that had a lot of unwanted horses, a lot of mares would be took in and would foal. Two mares in the space of 12 months dropped foals that were identical bar one had two white socks on the back and the other didn't. Some people are saying he's 3 for sure because he was born 3 days after another foal.

But I've been sent photo's of him from a few girls that exercised the horses there and its not my cob cause mine has the two white socks and the one in the photo doesn't.

Passport says 3.5yrs but with them not being passported till nearly 18+ months old and there being 2 that were very similar I am now unsure how old my boy is and if I should just give him another year off incase.

Do I get the vet to check teeth? But is it going to give a good enough estimate on his age?

Opinions please.
 
Either way another year off won't hurt him, so if the vet is unsure when they check him, then I would just play safe. But yes, get the vet, and chase up his gelding cert and chip details etc. Also ask the people who sold him - could all be a mix up either way.

Similar happened to someone I know, but this was decades ago and before passports: bought a young horse, was out working it, had teeth checked and oops, this is a yearling/eighteen months tops! Horse was of course given time off to grow up. Went on to become a very nice animal and lived well into its thirties.
 
It's unknown who gelded him, the place was a bit of a mess and his passport didn't even match the microchip when it was checked. My vets couldn't even find a micro-chip so he had to be re micro- chipped and his passport re-issued.

The person I bought off is a friend and hs been really helpful, she's been in touch with the person who took on the mare who foaled him and she says one thing but the girls that were helping all say something different. The place had around 160 horses and most weren't passported it wasn't until the RSPCA got invlolved with the place and made them passport the all horses that they we're all done over a week.

Not even as simple as his passport and micro-chip details!

I will book the vet and see what they say and go from there.
 
Sounds a right mix up, and checking the teeth would be a place to start, but please be aware that the teeth are only a very rough guide and can often be "off" by a year or two (I know because I used to breed quite a lot of horses and their teeth often didn't match their known birth dates).
 
At 2.5 yrs or 3.5yrs the teeth will be pretty obvious. They can often be a good few months, even 6, out but a whole year behind or early would be rare.


Which set of front teeth are currently falling out/loose?
 
Kallibear said:
At 2.5 yrs or 3.5yrs the teeth will be pretty obvious. They can often be a good few months, even 6, out but a whole year behind or early would be rare.


Which set of front teeth are currently falling out/loose?
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I have no idea, I don't think he's ever had his teeth done either. Booked him in for next week so will go from there.
 
Neburu said:
I have no idea, I don't think he's ever had his teeth done either. Booked him in for next week so will go from there.
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Just peel back his lips and have a look?! They have 6 teeth on top and bottom. The central set fall out about 2.5yrs, the next at 3.5yr and the outside set at 4.5yrs. My 3yrs and 8 months is bang on and currently sporting a gappy grin with both top second incisors gone and the bottom adult teeth are halfway in.
 
Kallibear said:
Just peel back his lips and have a look?! They have 6 teeth on top and bottom. The central set fall out about 2.5yrs, the next at 3.5yr and the outside set at 4.5yrs. My 3yrs and 8 months is bang on and currently sporting a gappy grin with both top second incisors gone and the bottom adult teeth are halfway in.
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Good plan, I was checking my boys the other day, hes lost the 4 in the middle but none to the sides yet and hes will be 4 in may! so he's due to lose the next lot any time! they still feel pretty firm though!
 
kerrieberry2 said:
Good plan, I was checking my boys the other day, hes lost the 4 in the middle but none to the sides yet and hes will be 4 in may! so he's due to lose the next lot any time! they still feel pretty firm though!
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He'll not loose the outer baby teeth until this time next year. Two pairs of adlt teeth through ( so the.middle 4 on the top and on the bottom) is normal. I tried to get a photo of Roo's toothypegs but it's unsurprisingly difficult!
 
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