World’s oldest evidence of horse dentistry
World’s oldest evidence of horse dentistry found in Mongolia That dental practice, which dates to as early as about 2800 years ago, coincided with the appearance in Mongolia of metal bits that made it easier for riders to control horses. Oldest evidence of horse dentistry Mongolian pastoralists were trying to remove troublesome teeth from horses’ mouths almost 3200 years ago, making those mobile herders the earliest known practitioners of horse dentistry, a new study finds. Those initial, incomplete tooth removals led to procedures for extracting forward-positioned cheek teeth known as first premolars from young horses, say archaeologist William Taylor and his colleagues. That dental practice, which dates to as early as about 2800 years ago, coincided with the appearance in Mongolia of metal bits that made it easier for riders to control horses, according to the researchers. Long-distance travel and mounted warfare with sedentary civilizations across Asia soon followed. “