# Galvayne's Groove inaccurate ?



## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Pic?

If the vet adds up with what the owners said go with that. One should know the other is a trained professional. Lots of people want to know and don't.. There are many other things to look at other than the groove..

I've never heard of an 18 year old horse growing a hand... even if she was unhealthy and stunted.

I'd just roll your eyes at the trainer and go with 5.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

Show us the teeth. From the side, front and biting surface. 4 or 5 is EASY to tell from 17 or 18 and it has nothing to do with the groove. In fact, if the horse is below 5, we can probably pinpoint the age. Best time to tell. The groove isnt even applicable till past 10 and although young horses teeth can seem to have a groove, it isnt Galvayne's groove.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

the shape of the cups on the teeth, the length of the teeth , the angle of the teeth along with the groove is how to age a horse. also the jaw muscle is less on an older horse.
An Aged horse will not grow any height. 
I would be concerned if I had a trainer that could not tell the diff between age 5 and 18, I think I would be leaving.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I just mentioned in another thread that one vet aged my horse as 13-15 and another vet (my current vet) says she is 23-25.

The first vet based hers on her groove. My current vet based it on the shape of her teeth. Like your horse, she was skin and bones when I got her. Had been severely neglected. I don't know if that can affect the appearance of their teeth and groove or not.

My horse certainly doesn't act 25. She has more get up and go then the younger ones at the barn so I stopped worry about it. It took me a while to get there but when a friend's 6 year old horse died of colic last year, I realized that age really doesn't matter as long as they are healthy and happy and see a vet regularly. And i figure if she is still galloping around when her coggins says she is 40 something, maybe the first vet was right.


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

This is a picture the trainer took of her 'groove' . I can take more pictures of her and her teeth tomorrow morning when i go down there  She acts like a 4 year old and even has that young look to her . still looks like a baby if you ask me haha . She's got a baby face


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

Will get better photos of her teeth tomorrow morning . Everything else about her teeth screams 5 . The size , angle , ect .(she had also never had her teeth floated before today)


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

The grove is in the TOP teeth (only two of them). Sooo yeah your trainer is on something good lol XD!


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## amigoboy (Feb 14, 2014)

We normily read the teeth by the front incisers surface.
I google but can not find any good pictures. 
If the horse has it´s permanent teeth you will see 2 avlong dark spots (we call then kärn sacks, I don´t remember what they are called in english). As the horse grows older these spots will deminish, first the back spot then the front one.

Can you take a photo of the biting suface?

The groove says the horse is 20+.
It was used by horse traders to make a quick determination on the horses age.


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## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

Horses normally stop growing at seven so if she has grown a hand she can't be 18

Many trainers don't know their *** from their elbow.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

I want some of whatever your trainer is on...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I bo't a Shetland one time, supposed to be 15. ok. At home I checked her teeth against the charts and she was 6. A lot of trainers aren't concerned about aging and are more focused on the training. It's not her job to age a horse.


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

That picture of her groove is the top tooth . That is why I am VERY confused . Can horses get a groove like that before ten ?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## amigoboy (Feb 14, 2014)

It´s not so much the gruv as the coloration. At about 10years you may see at the gum lining a tobaco stain discoloration, it takes about 10 more years for this to grow the full leangth of the tooth. By 20years the tooth will start showing white up at the gum line again.
These are approxamites and some horses may not show this disscoloration at all. But with a trained eye you can see the general condition of the teeth.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

an older horse









a 29 year old herse (going by the angle and the fact the grove is almost gone)









and a younger horse


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

The thing is , she has a groove much like a 20 year old horse would . BUT the angle of her teeth ect say roughly 5
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## equinesnfelines (Feb 1, 2014)

have to agree with amigoboy--the teeth (groove and all) would look at least 15 to 17---would really like to see some good pics of the biting surface on the bottom front ones...going from 14.3 to 15.1 is only 2"...at her age--underfed, out of shape--put back in training with a much better diet--a 2'' gain in overall height would not be that impossible...it would be more of a response to being in better shape muscularly...either way she is still lucky--sounds like she is well cared for now!!! kudos to you for that


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

malnutrition, what the horse has been eating, and breed can affect the shape of the teeth.
TB's are prone to wavy teeth , it is simply just as it sounds, 
as a horse ages it also gets a hook on the last upper . A horse grinds its food , side to side, not up and down as it chews.


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## alorabuote (Nov 15, 2013)

photo taken from today . have more , trying to upload .


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