June 28, 2024, 3:35 am | Read time: 6 minutes
The secret to a long life is one of the most exciting topics for biologists. Why does a bowhead whale live for 200 years, while a bulldog only reaches the age of seven and a small house mouse only two? And do all horses live as long as Old Billy? PETBOOK investigates.
Old Billy is considered to be the oldest horse in the world. He was born in 1760 in Woolston (England) at Edward Robinson’s horse breeding farm and died in 1822 at the age of 62. The gelding worked as a draft horse. Draft horses pulled barges on rivers and canals. Because, at this time, there were no steam engines. Back then, the power of Shire Horses, also known as “Gentle Giants,” was used instead. Old Billy was a shire cross cob; ‘Cob’ does not refer to a specific breed, but to a specific type of horse that can originate from various breeds. Therefore, cob describes the physique of a small, strong, and compact horse. For this type of horse and breed, 62 years is a truly exceptional age, as horses generally live between 25 and 30 years. The cold-blooded horse typically has a shorter life expectancy.
Overview
What is the life expectancy of a cold-blooded horse?
In addition to Old Billy’s Shire Horse breed, there are other cold-blooded horse breeds such as the Ardennes, Brabant, Clydesdale, Percheron, Dutch coldblood, Mecklenburg draft, Schleswig draft, Black Forest draft, Rhineland heavy draft, Belgian draft, Noriker, and more.
Until the middle of the 20th century, these calm and composed animals were used as workhorses in agriculture and industry. Even today, they continue to serve in forestry as ‘logging horses’. They pull long tree trunks out of forest areas that are inaccessible to machines. In Belgium, draft horses are still being used (for tourists) to catch or transport North Sea shrimp. In Bavaria, they can be seen at folk festivals, where they are being used to transport beer barrels with the help of magnificent carriages.
Cold-blooded horses impress with their size and weight: a fully-grown cold-blooded horse weighs between 600 and 1300 kg. Their average height ranges from 160 to 180 cm. Their coat is usually thick and long and adorned with a thick mane, as well as a magnificent tail. The life expectancy of a cold-blooded horse is between 16 and 18 years.
What is the life expectancy of a warm-blooded horse?
Warm-blooded horses stem originally from cold-blooded horses that were crossed with significantly lighter and more agile thoroughbred horses. Their character is more spirited than that of a cold-blooded horse. In international equestrian sports, they are often found in show jumping and dressage competitions.
Many of the best-known and most popular horse breeds are warmbloods, including the Andalusian horse, Appaloosa, Arab, Pinto, Criollo, Danube, German Trotter, Frisian horses, Hanoverian, Irish Tinker, Lipizzaner, Lusitano, Oldenburg horse, American Quarter Horse, Trakehner, and more. They reach a height of up to 185 cm. Warm-blooded horses are not fully grown until they are five years of age. Between the ages of six and 14, warm-blooded horses are in the prime of their lives. On average, the life expectancy of these horses is up to 20 years.
What is the life expectancy of a thoroughbred horse?
All thoroughbred breeds are characterized by a light build, very slender, long legs, and strongly muscled hindquarters. In terms of character, they are very lively and energetic, which is why they are mostly used in gallop racing and recommended for private horse riding with advanced, speed-loving riders.
Currently, we know of 16 thoroughbred horse breeds: Arab, Berber, English thoroughbred, French trotters, and many more. Their height is between 140 and 173 cm, and their average weight is between 450 and 600 kg. They are able to perform well up until their twenties. The coat of a thoroughbred horse is short and mostly single-colored. Common coat colors include bay, chestnut, gray, and black. Pintos are relatively rare among these breeds. Their life expectancy varies according to horse breed: while an Arab can live up to 40 years, an English thoroughbred usually lives for 20 to 30 years.
What is the life expectancy of ponies and small horses?
Ponies are horses with a height that does not exceed 148 cm. One of those is the Falabella pony, the smallest breed, which reaches only 75 to 90 cm in height. The Argentinian mini pony breed is considered the smallest pony breed in the world, with a high life expectancy of 30 years. Small horse breeds include those of a height between 130 cm and 148 cm. Due to their small size, they are very popular with children, beginners, and small, very light riders.
Some of the most common pony breeds are the Connemara pony, Haflinger, Icelandic horse, Shetland pony, Lewitzer, New Forest pony, Welsh pony, and Norwegian Fjord horse, as well as others. Most pony breeds live between 15 and 25 years. Robust breeds, such as the Icelandic horse, often live up to 35 years. The oldest pony in the world was “Schlumpf” from Wuppertal. “Herr Schlumpf,” a chestnut pinto, reached the age of 52.
How can you tell if a horse is old?
Old horses usually lose weight as they age because they are no longer able to process nutrients as well as before. In general, old horses also eat less. There are also some other external characteristics that show that a horse has a few years under its belt:
- The eyes appear cloudy
- The skin loses elasticity, and the lower lip droops
- The face appears sunken in, and the eyes sit in the sockets
- The abdomen protrudes because of the back sagging
- The fur turns gray; gray-white hair appears especially around the eyes, ears, mouth, and forehead
- The old timer’s movement is restricted
What you can do with an old horse
If you love your old horse, take it for regular walks instead of leaving it confined to its stall. Like any horse, old horses also require regular exercise to maintain their fitness. Sometimes they even need targeted training for certain muscles that would otherwise break down. How long you can ride a horse depends on its state of health as well as its back muscles. Some horses remain fit enough to carry their riders way into their twenties.
By the way, in the first three years of a horse’s life, one year equates to 6.5 human years. From the fourth year of life onwards, one horse year corresponds to around 2.5 human years. At 20 years of age, their biological age corresponds to that of a 60-year-old human. And at the age of 30, that of an 85-year-old senior citizen.
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