Object number
54/455
Collection
Description
This is a tooth rasp, a tool used for rasping (or 'floating') a horse's teeth, which involves wearing down the surfaces of teeth to remove sharp points and balance the sides of the horse's mouth. It belonged to a family of horse dealers in Reading.
Physical description
1 tooth rasp: metal; wood; good condition
Label Text
Tooth rasp. Used by a family of horse dealers in Reading, this tooth rasp was applied to wear down a horse's teeth, in order to blunt the points and balance the horse's mouth. Before rasping, the mouth must be held open by a gag and a thorough examination conducted to check for broken or missing teeth. The frequency of these examinations depends on the horse's health and age. The teeth can actually be used to tell a horse's age. If a horse is younger than 11 years, its incisors are rounded. Older horses have triangular or rectangular incisors.
Production date
1900 - 1900
Object name
Material
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_637.tif - High resolution image
