An average lifespan of a Horse is from 20-30 years but if more care should be done then can exceed to 40 years and so on but surprisingly a highest horse’s age recorded is 62 whose name was Old Billy. So, therefore there are different techniques and ways to know the age of a horse in different stages of life of a horse.
Stages of the lifespan of a Horse
A life span of a horse divided into three stages such as young, adult and senior life.
- At the first stage i.e., at the young life its new born and is considered as foal (the baby form of a horse). A life span of a foal is from 5 years to 9 years and its new life cycle starts with birth and till death.
- The second life cycle start from 9 years to age 20 where it becomes an adult life stage.
- At the third life cycle after reaching at adulthood it comes in senior life phase which last till 30-40 years depending on proper care, lifestyle, breeding etc. Horses are very caring animal by nature they eat twice or thrice in a day but their eating habits vary according to climate, weather, environment etc. A life span of a horse also depends upon the breed of the horse where some breeds are more active and live longer life. And in some cases, horses don’t have life span due to unhealthy life style or very less care being given by the owners.
Breeding of a Horse:
Every animal has breeding season (breeding period) where they can produce new life after breeding with male horse. But breeding also depends upon the breed of a horse, for example if its wild horse then breeding may be possible only twice in a year but usually breeding period is between 11-12 months so therefore it requires more care and protection during this sensitive time.
When breeding takes place, the younger horses are born which are known as foals. An average life span of a foal is from 5 to 9 years depending on proper care being given by the owners.
How to estimate the Age of a Horse?
A growing horse has different stages and it is very easy to estimate the age of a horse in each stage. At birth, a foal looks like a small dog or cat with short legs and long body. The skin colour of a new born is usually black but sometimes it can be brown too. As they grow older their height increases which also indicates how old they are.
At the age of two to three months, you can determine how old your young one is by measuring its length from top of its head to base of tail length in cm and multiplying it to 4 then add 2 years because at the age of two months a horse’s growth rate increase four times faster than an adult horse so for example if a horse’s length = 60 cm then its estimated age = (60*4) + 2 = 42 months.
But you can also determine how old is your young one by looking in to their teeth. As they grow in age the shape of their tooth change in three stages for example when a horse is 6 months old, they will have small milk teeth which last up to 9-12 month after that they develop permanent front teeth and at 18 months, they developed six more molars behind the previous ones.
Also, horses lose baby teeth between 6-9 months and permanent teeth usually starts growing at the age of 24 months but it depends upon how healthy or properly care is given throughout life cycle of a horse. Horse’s eyesight improves with age.
Horse’s Teeth show the age of a horse:
Horse’s teeth grow throughout their life and a Horse’s Teeth show the age of a horse in each stage.
At birth, a foal has 6 baby teeth which are called milk teeth because they only last up to 3 months after that they develop permanent front teeth. From 18 months they have total of 36 permanent molar (6 on each side). But some horses don’t develop all their molars at age 4 years but do so by 5 or 6 years however it is very rare. Horse’s wisdom tooth doesn’t usually appear until it is about 10-12 years old. Horse’s Wisdom Tooth: There is no such thing as wisdom teeth for horses and if some horses develop extra molars these molars almost never resemble human wisdom teeth.
Horse’s Life Span: Horse’s life span is about 30-40 years in order to have a healthy horse it’s necessary that proper care should be given with proper feeding, hygiene, grooming etc. Horse needs the same amount of exercise as humans do because that keeps them fit and active without regular exercise their muscles get stiff which lead to illness so it’s good for their health if they are allowed to graze freely in fresh grass fields with lots of space so they can run around and enjoy being free. Horse’s Teeth show the age of a horse: Horse has total six sets of molars starting from 6 on each side when born up to 36 on both sides when fully mature (age 4 years). Horse’s Teeth: Horse has two rows of upper and lower molar on both side with total number of 36 teeth, six upper and lower per side. Horse’s
Teeth show the age of a horse in each stage: Horse shows his age by losing or wearing out their teeth as they go through stages as listed above:
– Horse is born with 6 baby teeth (milk teeth)
– At age 2 to 3 months grow small milk tooth permanently for next 9 months then develop permanent front teeth at the age of 18 months.
– Horse develops six more molars behind previous ones from 24 month onwards. Horse’s Wisdom Tooth: If present it usually appear around 10 to 12 years.
Racehorses’ life span?
Their racehorses’ life span is about 30-40 years in order to have a healthy racehorse, it is necessary that proper care should be given.
If racehorses are not allowed to graze freely, they get stiff which led to illness so regular exercise is important for racehorses. They need the same amount of exercise as humans do. Proper feeding, hygiene and grooming are also necessary for racehorses. If racehorse gets all these things, then their life span increases up to 40 years or more than that according to their health condition because racehorses are very much cared by their trainers in every stage of their lives especially when they start working out on racing tracks under expert supervision who guide them properly through good diet, training, race schedules and race practice. Horse needs the same amount of exercise as humans do because that keeps them fit and active without regular exercise their muscles get stiff which lead to illness so it’s good for their health if they are allowed to graze freely in fresh grass fields with lots of space so they can run around and enjoy being free.
Horse Reproduction:
Horse’s reproduction system is unique in a way that they always have one male and one female Horse. Horse Reproduction is defined as Horse mating, Horse pregnancy, Horse birthing young ones or otherwise known as Horse Foaling. Horse mating is the process of getting a mare pregnant by a stallion through physical contact including touching, biting, kicking etc. but it must be noticed that when approaching a mare for horse mating it must be done very carefully because she may charge at you if she feels offended or scared.
When horses mate both will stand still until it’s over however sometimes the stallions get distracted while mating with the mares which results in nipping or biting especially on her backside. A female Horse (mare) comes into heat usually after every 21 days during spring and summer season. Horse reproduction is an important process because Horse pregnancy produces Horse babies which are known as Horse Foals. Horse gestation (pregnancy) lasts for nearly 11 months (340 days) or sometimes more than that depending on Horse’s species like draft horses’ gestations last plus or minus 10 to 12 days.
Horse breeding season is from May to August in order to make it easy for Horse farms to manage the birth of Horse foals including managing mares, stallions, proper feeding etc. Delivery of Horse baby (Foal) happens usually by itself without human interference except when there are complications like placenta previa, abnormal position of foaling etc., When there are complications, the veterinary doctor delivers Horse baby (foal). Horse birthing process is called Horse foaling. Horse pregnancy usually results in one Horse Foal but sometimes it may give birth to twins, triplet and quadruplet Horse babies.
Horse gestation lasts for 11 months, a mare goes through a series of physical and behavioural changes throughout the Horse gestation period in order to prepare her body for Horse delivery/foaling. Around 10 days before Horse labour signs will be seen by which you can understand that your mare might give birth anytime from now on so keep an eye on her behaviour and keep all the necessary things ready near the stable where she lives.
Conclusion:
It is concluded that the Horse’s life span is 20-30 years which can be exceeded with better care and breed which can affect the horse’s stage and life span as well. We can know the ages of a horses in different stages of life through teeth as well. Horse’s way of reproduction is unique unlike humans it lasts 11 months or a little longer. There is no doubt that it the oldest and unique living animal used for towing humans and luggage etc in older times. Horse is very loving, caring, and loyal animal in this world and requires a lot of care and responsibility. Colic, gastrointestinal, laminitis and Cushing are common causes of death of a horse. Most importantly, breed of a horse decide its life span.