Updated September 28, 2026. This page used to describe caps as soft hair on a young horse’s head that falls out in the first few months. That was flat wrong, and I’m sorry it sat here as long as it did. Caps are baby teeth. I’ve rewritten the whole thing from the vet manuals and the extension guides, and every number below says where it came from.
Hey y’all, it’s Jack here. Found a little shell of a tooth in the feed bin? Seen your young horse drop half his grain and toss his head at dinner? Then this is the page for you. And I owe you the right answer this time.
The short answer: horses lose their caps between about 2½ and 4 years old. They come off one set at a time, as the adult cheek teeth push up underneath them. By 5, a horse normally has all of his adult teeth.
What Are Caps?
Caps are baby teeth. Not hair, not anything on the head. They’re the baby (deciduous) premolars, the grinding teeth near the front of the cheek rows. And they sit right on top of the adult teeth growing in below them. The Merck Veterinary Manual puts it in one line: “Retained cheek teeth are called caps, which are typically shed as the permanent teeth erupt underneath them.”
A foal gets those baby premolars early. USDA APHIS’s aging guide and Utah State University Extension both list them as coming in at birth or in the first 2 weeks. A couple of years later, the adult tooth grows up from below and pushes the baby tooth off the top, kinda like a cap popping off a bottle. That’s the picture I keep in my head, anyway.
What Age Do Horses Lose Their Caps?
Here’s when the adult premolars come in, and so when each set of caps comes off. These ages come from the eruption table USDA APHIS and Utah State University Extension both print:
- Second premolar: about 2½ years.
- Third premolar: about 3 years.
- Fourth premolar: about 4 years.
APHIS adds a note worth knowing. Its ages for the third and fourth premolars are for the upper teeth, and the lower ones may come in about 6 months earlier. So you’re looking at a stretch of time, not one day. The Merck Veterinary Manual says the swap from baby teeth to adult ones “starts at about 2.5 years of age.” It also says all the adult teeth are usually in by the time a horse is 5.
Your horse is swapping his front teeth (the incisors) in the same years, too, though nobody calls those caps. Caps are only the baby premolars. The molars further back come in as adult teeth, so they never have caps. Utah State lists the adult centrals at 2½, the intermediates at 3½ and the corners at 4½. I wrote more about that in when horses lose their baby teeth. Want to put an age on a horse from what you see in his mouth? My free horse teeth age chart does that.
Wait, Are Wolf Teeth Caps?
Nope. Wolf teeth are the first premolars. Merck says they’re usually in the upper jaw, not every horse has them, and they usually come in at around 5 to 6 months. They’re adult teeth from the start, so nothing pushes them off, and they’re not caps. If you’ve got questions about them, that’s a separate conversation with your vet.
Signs a Cap Is Bothering Your Horse
Most caps come off on their own, and you’ll never see them go. But sometimes one hangs on after the adult tooth under it is ready. Then it gets loose and sore. Merck lists what that looks like:
- Head shaking.
- Not wanting to eat.
- Weight loss.
- Trouble chewing.
- Quidding (dropping wads of half-chewed feed).
- Training problems.
That last one matters if you’re starting a young horse under saddle. A 3-year-old that fights the bit might have a sore mouth, not a bad attitude. Honestly, it’s the first thing I’d rule out, and I’d do it before I blamed the horse.
Should You Pull a Cap Yourself?
I wouldn’t, and I don’t. According to Merck, a vet can take a cap off in three cases: it’s loose, the cap on the other side has already come off, or there’s space between the cap and the adult tooth below it. Those are calls for someone who can see and feel inside the mouth. That’s a job for the vet, not for your fingers.
So here’s what I’d do. Between about 2 and 5, have your vet or the equine dentist check your young horse’s mouth at his regular dental visits. Tell them about any of the signs above. And if you find a cap in the feeder, don’t panic. It just means that tooth did its job and moved on.
FAQ
Is it normal to find a cap in the feed bin?
Yep. A shed cap looks like a thin shell of a tooth. Finding one from a horse between about 2½ and 4 is exactly what you’d expect.
Do caps grow back?
No. A cap is a baby tooth. Once it’s off, the adult tooth under it is the one your horse keeps.
Do all horses have caps?
Horses get their baby premolars at birth or in the first couple of weeks, so every horse goes through this. You just won’t always see it happen.
Can a horse have caps at 5?
By 5, a horse normally has all of his adult teeth. If your vet finds a cap still hanging on around then, that’s one that needs looking at.
End Note
Well, there you have it. Caps are baby teeth, and they come off between about 2½ and 4. By 5, your horse should be wearing his full set of grown-up teeth. Is your young horse quidding, tossing his head or suddenly fussy about the bit? Then I’d let your vet or the equine dentist take a look before you blame the horse.
Happy trails, y’all.
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual, “Congenital and Inherited Anomalies of the Teeth in Animals” and “Dental Development of Horses”; USDA APHIS, National Veterinary Accreditation Program Reference Guide, Appendix G: Equine Teeth and Aging; Utah State University Extension, “Aging Horses by Their Teeth.”