An average horse will live until age 27, although a typical horse life span is between 25-30 years, that said, it is not unusual for horses to live well into their 40s or even into their 50s. A horse living past the age of 30 is no longer shocking for the owners of horses, and if they are taking care of the dental health of their horses specifically, as well as their overall health, they tend to live much longer than they used to. On average, horses live about 20-30 years, but like with dogs, horse owners should not be shocked if their horse lives beyond that length, or unfortunately passes away before 20 years. As I said, the average horse will live for about 30 years, but over the years, there have been plenty of horses who lived much longer.
Moving onto the other breeds of horses, painted horses found in the United States, generally tend to live longer than an average horse, three or four years. The expected life span of horses is around 20 to 30 years, depending on the breed, but smaller horse breeds generally outlive larger ones. While this chart is an overall picture, it is common for horses from each of these breeds to live well beyond their expected lifespan.
Most breeds of horses will live for at least 25 to 30 years, though there can be certain factors which lead some to live a longer or shorter lifespan than others. Although different breeds of horses will live a range of lengths, the average life span of an indoor housed horse is about 25-30 years, provided that it is well taken care of. The average horse life span is between 25-30 years, with smaller ponies living a little longer on average, while larger draft horses average a little shorter.
As a rule of thumb, it is thought that larger horse types have shorter life spans than smaller breeds and ponies. Some breeds actually do tend to have longer lifespans than others, so make sure you take that info into consideration when choosing your next horse.
Meanwhile, horses that are breeds that are bred through multiple generations of inbreeding, like Friesian horses, tend to have shorter lifespans, around 15-20 years. This dramatically shorter life span (by comparison, most horses live between 25 and 30 years) is because of inbreeding, which has caused a number of potentially fatal congenital disabilities. We may note life span of Arabian horse, since they lived for about 30 years, and sometimes even more, because of their relatively smaller body size.
The increased life span also comes to roughly equal with horse ownership, since they eat less and need less space. On average, the life expectancy for a painted horse is 30-31 years, but if an owner is genuine enough to take good care of their horse, he or she could definitely live much longer.
In other words, the life span of your horse will mainly be determined by you, your love, and correct maintenance. All these things are essential to the wellbeing of your horse, both mentally and physically, to ensure that he or she will have a happy, healthy lifespan, regardless of the average lifespan for horses. It is every horses owners responsibility to ensure that their horses are able to live through retirement years with as much care as possible.
As a good horse parent, you want to ensure that you are taking care of your four-legged companions as best as you can, so that they live a long, healthy life. With a thorough focus on basic maintenance for an older horse, like feeding, dental and hoof care, many horses can stay healthy and useful well into their older years, and still remain joys for the owner even after fully retiring. Many people report that, with proper care, their older horses continue to have healthy, useful lives.
The importance of good vet care becomes more important when you consider that feral horses only live 15 years, on average, much shorter than average domestic horses. Wild horses live about 15-16 years, significantly less than average life spans for domestic horses including miniature horses, warmbloods, and racehorses who live for 25-35 years. Horses can live significantly longer if they have great living conditions, regular exercise, a proper diet, and prompt medical attention.
Horses who are in good health and conformation when they are younger are likely to have a long, healthy life, regardless of race. Horses who are given proper nutrition and a balanced life-style with time for work and recreation, along with as much love and attention as their owners can provide, are more likely to live long lives and see the large age that some animals are known to reach.
Unfortunately, larger horses, particularly draft horses, are not so long-lived, but you may find some who live a happy life into their 40s. Knowing how long your horse will live is only a guess due to external factors and unknown circumstances, knowing your race may provide you with some idea as to how long horses such as yours generally live. If you are considering getting a horse or you already own one, then you are probably wondering how long you can expect your companion equine animal to live.
You will also want to keep an eye on the feeding of your horse, particularly during his senior years. Knowing about their life spans will help you give them optimal care throughout their various stages, keeping them healthy and happy.
Variations in lifespan may occur due to a horses job, living conditions, exposure to illness, etc. Horses cross over the rainbow bridge for several different reasons, not only advancing years, that must be kept in mind. Saying a horses life span is between 25-30 years does not really answer that though, there are just too many variables that could be playing a part. A recent study done by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture found that although a household horses lifespan is an average 25 to 30 years, ponies are most likely to live well into their 40s (continuing working well into their 30s).