You all know that horses have been kept as pets for a very long time, maybe over 5000 years. The prime reason for keeping horses in ancient times was using them as a “source of transport”. People could cover miles of distance at a very high pace sitting on this beautiful and loyal creature.

Horses can also read human emotions through their facial expressions, and that made these creatures a perfect partner to cover vast distances on.    

However, in this era, things have been changed. Now horses are being adopted to fulfill hobbies like horse riding. This is because horse riding not only makes our soul happy but also serves as a Great Exercise. 

You might have seen riders move up, down, back, and forth so hard while riding a horse. That movement they get while riding stretches their muscles from different parts, giving them a full-body workout.

That all seems interesting but, do you know how long do horses live? This is something one must know so he could be able to even think about getting this piece of joy anytime in his future life.

So, the general answer to this question is 25-30 years. Ponies, however, tend to live longer than horses. There are also some records kept where the horses have been lived up to 40 years and above. For instance, the world record marks Old Billy as the horse that lived up to the age of 62 years. 

Let’s check the lifespan of horses from other breeds!

VARIATION BETWEEN BREEDS

There are almost 350 horse breeds, however; only five general horse categories:

1. American Quarter Horse
2. Arabian Horse
3. Thoroughbred
4. Appaloosa
5. Morgan

But the thing is, when it comes to the lifespan of a horse, variation between the breeds Does Not Matter, and the lifespan throughout the whole species remains the same.

Even so, Arabian horses are expected to live a longer life but, that’s just an expectation. On the other side, racehorses or the horses for performances are at more risk of death.

WAYS FOR CHECKING A HORSE’S AGE

There are generally two ways for checking a horse’s age. 

One way to get an estimated age of a horse is to check the physical signs. For instance, turning of hairs into gray color and loosening of muscle tone marks the beginning of senior years. Moreover, droopy lips and sunken eyes can also be signs of old age. Nevertheless, these physical signs will tell you the estimated age only, not the accurate one.

Another way to get to know about horses’ age is by checking their teeth. 

Sounds weird? But that’s true!

To tell an exact age, experts need to examine and read a horse’s teeth. By checking the presence of some specific types of teeth, they get an idea of the estimated years that the horse has lived till that time. The younger the horse will be, the accurate the age will be guessed.

Although all the horse details including the age remain mentioned over the “horse-identity registration papers”; however, one can use the ways mentioned above in case of losing or not having an approach to those papers.

HELP YOUR HORSE LIVE LONGER

Being devoted horse partners or parents, all of us wish our horses to have a maximum lifespan. Although that’s out of our hands, keeping our horses physically and mentally healthy would help them fight against illness or diseases, or in other words, help them live longer.

Lunging is an exercise that makes the horse improve the balance that it requires while carrying a rider. Therefore, lunging them once a week or twice would be helpful to maintain their fitness. Besides, socialize your horse with other horses. By doing so, the horse will feel better and would learn new things day after day.

FINAL WORDS

Well, how long your horse lives depends on its health care, level of activity, exercise, and of course, luck. So take care of their teeth, hooves, and all their medical needs!