Porównanie zmian zachodzących na zębach siecznych koni czystej krwi arabskiej i angloarabskich

Morphological analysis of horse teeth, which defines a universal dental scheme of changes occurring with age on the incisors, can be useful not only in determining the age of the horse, but also in estimating the somatic maturity of horses of various breeds. The aim of the study was to compare changes on the incisors of Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, and to establish the frequency of errors in age determination based on the appearance of teeth. It was found that the percentage of errors in age determination based on the appearance of teeth was higher for Arabian mares compared to Anglo-Arabian ones. The age of Arabian mares was more frequently overestimated than underestimated, and the difference was highly significant. The method used for age determination proved most reliable during the disappearance of cups. It was the least useful during the replacement of milk incisors by permanent incisors and during the change in the shape of their occlusal surface, when the age of Anglo-Arabian horses was significantly more frequently underestimated than overestimated. On the basis of changes in the dentition of these two breeds, it can be concluded that the processes of eruption, exchange, and abrasion of incisors in Arabian mares occurs faster, which shows that they reach somatic maturity earlier than Anglo-Arabian mares.