Determining how long a horse can live depends on many factors such as the breed, the care and the state in which it lives as well as the life it has had. Thus the life expectancy of a horse is quite flexible, can live among the 25 to 40 years.
In any case, to get an idea, it can be considered a adult horse when he turns four years old of life. Then it must be taken into account that a horse in captivity lives longer than a wild one since the conditions and care are not the same, hence they do not exceed 25 years of life.
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Life expectancy of a horse
To get an idea we can say that they can be classified into three types of horses, each of which has a different life expectancy always taking into account their care and health conditions.
If we talk about heavy horses considered draftThese differ from the rest by their large size, they measure between 1.63 and 1.68 meters and can weigh up to 1.000 kilos, in these cases life expectancy ranges between 25 and 30 years.
The variety of light or saddle horses Its height reaches between 1,42 and 1,63 meters and its weight, 550 kilos, stands out for its speed, resistance and alertness. Conditions that, however, make these animals the category with the lowest life expectancy of the three, although always qualifying that one thing is life expectancy and another is the working life of the equine, hence they are around 25 years.
One of the horses that long lives are ponies. Although this breed does not exceed a meter and a half, it has a very robust body which makes it one of the longest-lived. His character is calm and his life expectancy exceeds 40 years, even reaching 45.
Years of life according to their race
Apart from factors such as diet, lifestyle and habitat, genes also play a more than crucial role in the longevity of an equine. Depending on the race to which it belongs, the future will predict a longer life or, on the contrary, much shorter.
The horse breeds that have the negative honor of living a shorter time are horses. Akhal-Teke, Altai and Mustang. All animals belonging to these three groups tend to have a life expectancy that is comprised between the 18 and 20 years.
They are followed by some of the best known and most popular horse breeds in the world, which fortunately lengthen said life expectancy a few more years. Among all of them we highlight the following: the horse Arab, Percheron, the Purebred Spanish, Frisian, Berber, etc. that place their maximum life in the 25-27 years, although there are occasions that reach the 30 years.
As mentioned earlier in the article, horses Pony They are the ones who have the enormous privilege of being one of the horse breeds with the longest life expectancy. (about 35-40 years). He is accompanied by the famous horse Criollo, which is capable, like ponies, of extending its existence up to the 40 years.
The oldest horse in the world
As is often the case in many areas, there are occasions or events that often break the criteria of normality, becoming truly exceptional cases.
One of them was the horse 'Shayne'. This animal, a Thoroughbred sorrel that resided in Essex (Great Britain), he managed to endure in this world until he was 51 years old, which is why it is believed to be the oldest horse ever seen.
Its keepers think that the secret of this horse's long life was evenly divided between its personality, and that all the owners it had had had taken really good care of it.
Tips to extend the life of a horse
Actually, there is no exact trick that makes our horse stay with us for much longer, since there can be a myriad of circumstances that end with a fatal outcome. However, if we put a series of tips into practice, we can contribute to a slightly higher life expectancy, or at least of a higher quality.
First special emphasis must be placed on nutrition. A correct diet and a balanced diet will free the horse from many diseases and from staying healthy and strong.
Hygiene is another key factor. Keeping the stable and the places frequented by the horse clean for long periods of time will prevent them from becoming a powerful source of infection and danger.
If we subject our horse to hard work (heavy tasks of shooting, loading, etc.), we will punish it excessively, something that must be avoided at all costs if we do not want it to have a negative impact.
Broadly speaking, these are the basic tips that can make our horse live another year, although they are not the only ones: daily physical exercise and regular visits to the vet they can also be of enormous help.
Relationship between the life years of a horse and the life years of a human being
If we want to establish a relationship or parallelism that allows us to know how much the years of life of a horse are compared to those of a person, we must know that, more or less, one year of a horse (once the animal is over four years old) corresponds to two and a half years of a person.
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