by Rena Sherwood

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Most sources agree that a horse (equus caballus) lives to an average of thirty years. However, there are a lot of extremes to this average. The current world record holder for equine longevity goes to mixed breed black draft horse Old Billy, who was born in 1760 and died in 1822 at the venerable age of 62.

It's thought that ponies have an overall longer lifespan than horses, living well into their thirties while many horses do not make it to their thirties. Many ponies have been recorded as reaching their fifties, including the crossbreed

Sugar Puff, who passed away at 56. Incidentally, both Sugar Puff and Old Billy lived in England. Either that means England can produce some long-lived equines or the English the only ones who bothered to keep records on these things.

Thoroughbred Racehorses

It is possible for some lines of horses to be genetically pre-programmed to die well before they reach thirty. The legendary 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat had to be put down due to complications from laminitis when he was a mere 19 years old. However, most the stallions in his pedigree died in their twenties. His own sire, Bold Ruler, died of cancer in his prime at age 17.

It seems to be an adage that the more talented the sport horse, the more likely they are to die early. Such is the case of 2000 Dubai World Cup winner Dubai Millenium, who died at the age of 5 from suddenly developing an allergy to grass. It can be argued that in order to be bred to go faster, Thoroughbreds may have lost their longevity. The average age a Thoroughbred reaches is 25.

Mustangs

Oddly enough, reports of mustangs, feral horses of the American West, have shown that despite the hardships of their lives, if they can survive their first five years of life, then they have a very good chance of living well into their thirties. However, most of these reports are anectodotal. It's thought that one stallion, a Kiger mustang named Mesteno lived to be about 30, although the exact date of his death had never been confirmed.

This longevity could be due to a case of the strongest surviving and the horses not being able to overeat. Domesticated horses are prone to obesity, which can result in life-threatening conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. The aforementioned Secretariat was an estimated 600 pounds overweight when he contracted laminitis.

In order to help a horse live his longest, he needs to be routinely exercised, not to let get overweight and have routine veterinary check-ups. He also needs plenty of social interaction with other creatures in order to stay relaxed and happy.

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