What is a 'normal' age to lose a horse?

[eggs]

1. 3 year old wb - ruptured caecum due to accident
2. 3 year old wb - found dead in field; PM showed abdominal tumour
3. 3 year old wb - pts following operation for colic - mesenteric entrapment
4. 15 year old wb - suspected stroke / myopathy
5. 25 year old polo pony - arthritis
6. 22 year old wb - field injury
7. 19 year old cb - welsh - arthritis
8. 16 year old Irish sports - fractured stifle

 

[FNC]

What an interesting thread. I am quite surprised by the ages - not as many into their late 20s as I thought there would be. I still have my first horse she is 23 with arthritis and has suffered a tendon injury in the field a few months ago. Sound in walk around the field but I do wonder how long she will go on for

Will keep reading with interest thank you

 

[Orangehorse]

This is interesting. My horse is 19 and last the vet came I said I was disappointed that he was suffering from arthritis despite not having had a strenuous life and she said that it is just one of those things - quite a big horse and getting older so she wasn't surprised at all. The only ones I know well have been PTS

1. 15 hh irish PC event pony aged 15, in foal - cancer tumour in the throat having had an eye tumour removed a few years previously.
2. 23 year old appolosa x TB 16.00 hh due to arthritis, had a busy early life.

 

[LeneHorse]

This is an interesting if scary thread. Based on this my horse (18 with cushings) and my friends horses (both aged 25) are living on borrowed time.

My previous horse (arab x) got put to sleep at 14 with laminitis (cushings related but not diagnosed until after laminitis had struck).

There have been several pts at the yard over the years but most were in their 20's with conditions associated with ageing. I'm not sure of exact ages, sorry.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'm finding it weirdly reassuring even though it raises the possibility that we might loose the younger horses sooner than you might be led to believe... It also means that I feel less bad that I'm thinking that my Anglo Arab is looking old at rising 22 and thinking she may not have so many winters left. I was starting to feel like I was failing for probably not getting her to her late 20s still in full work! There seems to have been a lot of positive publicity around older horses, staying in good nick and working longer etc etc lately, which is GREAT , dont get me wrong but it does start to make you feel a bit bad and guilty when youve got one that hasn't aged so well.

 

[_EVS_]

I've only lost one so far:

1. PTS 15yo ISH 17hh Bilateral Laryngeal Paralysis

If you want to count it then I had an 8yr old 16.2hh Mare that I should have had PTS as she had arthritis in her coffin joints but I found what I thought was a companion home where she would enjoy some gentle hacking unfortunately she was sold on.

The only other horse I had and sold is still going at 21 and was competing Medium BD until a tendon injury last autumn - so a mixed bag!!

 

[blodwyn1]

35yrs pts due to inability to get up part bred Arab.
27 Welsh d complications from sarcoid removal pts

 

[Damnation]

1. 21 (Colic)
2. 25 (Colic type symptoms but autopsy revealed Cancer)
3. 7 (Slipped disc in spine)
4. 19 (Freak field accident)
5.13 (Colic)
6. 5 (Colic)
7. 19 (Colic)
8. 20 (Colic)
9. 15 (Toxic laminitis and mass organ failure/sepsis from retained placenta)
10. 27 (Old age)

This is a mixture of horses I used to work with and 1 of my own. Average age of 17 years.

 

[ycbm]

I'm finding it weirdly reassuring even though it raises the possibility that we might loose the younger horses sooner than you might be led to believe... It also means that I feel less bad that I'm thinking that my Anglo Arab is looking old at rising 22 and thinking she may not have so many winters left. I was starting to feel like I was failing for probably not getting her to her late 20s still in full work! There seems to have been a lot of positive publicity around older horses, staying in good nick and working longer etc etc lately, which is GREAT , dont get me wrong but it does start to make you feel a bit bad and guilty when youve got one that hasn't aged so well.

This is exactly why I started the thread. It began to feel as though social media was causing people to think that horses should, and normally do, live into their late twenties or early thirties. I am pleased that it has helped people.

So far, the results are exactly what I expected, and we now have a sample size of perhaps 500, so enough to see a proper pattern. What I would sum up so far:

It is normal to lose a horse at any age to injury, colic or a range of diseases not related to age.

It is common to lose a horse within a few years of backing due to inability to withstand work.

It is common to lose a horse in the mid teens due to not being able to withstand the onset of old age related diseases.

It isn't as common as might be expected to get a horse through to its natural end of life.

It isn't at all 'normal' to get a horse through to its natural end of life still in work.

 

[Berpisc]

1 16, haemorrhaged after foaling
2 22, old age
3 25 old age
4 25 colic
5 17, leg broken in scrap with other horse
6 5 poisoned (somebody put yew clippings into a field)

 

[turkana]

Warmblood - twisted gut- 30
new forest x TB - heart failure - 30
TB - field injury - 13
anglo arab -failing eye sight - 25

 

[Cortez]

I have horses that work for a living, we do retire if the horse is happy living out and well in themselves, not lame, etc., but PTS if their quality of life is reduced or maintenance will be complicated. I would generally expect that a horse should be able to continue working (our demands are pretty gentle; no jumping, no competing, they essentially just have to look pretty whilst W/T/C and prancing about) until their late teens, I've had a few that worked until 20 - 22, and of course there are always the unexpected accidents.

I'm actually surprised at how many horses there are in their late 20's to 30's. I believe the "natural" lifespan of feral horses (brumbies and mustangs) is about 10 - 12 years.

 

[splashgirl45]

i must have been lucky as all of mine have been ridden till their at least 22 and the one who was 35 when PTS was being ridden till she was 31. i competed all of mine at riding club level till late teens and then they were hacked regularly so not really a hard life compared to many. this is a very interesting thread.

 

[DJ]

1. 16 year old - share horse in my teens - dropped down dead out on a hack (suspected heart attack).
2. Youngster (rising 3) - terrible red worm damage. Vet said PTS.
3. Youngster (2 years old) - Colic/twisted gut. Found deceased in the field. Post mortem showed a twisted/burst stomach and intestine due to a congenital deformity.
4. 8 year old - suspected neuro/behavioural from head injury sustained in the field. PTS
5. 23 year retired mare - Found deceased in the field on retirement livery.


Currently have a 28 ish year old pony who I`m sure will out live us all lol

 

[Ambers Echo]

13 - Appy x cob 14hh chronic lameness + behavioural problems.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

I've not actually lost a horse/pony yet owned by myself (apart from a 5 month old foal but he isn't included for the purpose of this thread)

Others that I have cared for:

1. 27yo NF reaction to adder bite PTS
2. 33yo unknown breeding mare - collapsed in field PTS
3. 37yo NF arthritis PTS
4. 21yo NF cushings PTS

Others known to me

4. 5yo NF shoulder injury in field PTS
5. 27yo P/B Arab cushings PTS
6. 24yo P/B Arab cushings PTS
7. 35+ unknown old age PTS
8. 16yo NF broke leg in field PTS
9. 5yo NF sweet itch/behaviour issues PTS

Unfortunately I also know of many involved in accidents on the open forest.

 

[pennyturner]

I have only lost one so far.

26yo 15.3hh Welsh Dx. Suspected pituitary tumour, PTS - v. sudden

My first pony retired two years ago aged 29, and is going strong in retirement at the Horses' Trust.
Also have a Dartmoor who is still living out all winter at 30+ (acquired pre-passport, already aged)

 

[Xanthoria]

1. 17h Friesian x TB: 7 - colic
2. 16.2h TB: 22 - found dead in paddock
3. 16h TB: 24 - ruptured cruciate ligament

I just put #3 down a couple months ago and everyone said "oh he wasn't old!" and I thought "well, actually..." but then a lot of the people I know have Morgans and QHs and smaller horses and keep them going well past their due date, IMO

 

[Regandal]

1. 12 - tb, field injury. PTS
2. 21 - IDx, colic due to tumour. PTS

 

[katastrophykat]

1. TB x PTS following field injury, 18
2. Shetland, PTS following blood poisoning- complications from Strangles, 13
3. WB, PTS colic, 16

 

[Annagain]

1. Sec D - 27 - PTS. Colic due to a suspected lipoma.
2. Sec B - 28 - PTS. He wasn't with me at the end but I was still in touch with his new home and visited him before he was pts. He just stopped eating, vet couldn't find a reason.

 

[Lady2021]

It think it depends on how strong and healthy a horse is . Some horse will go on forever my friend has 35 years old and some horses will die young.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Over the years I’ve lost horses from 7- late 30’s
The 7 year old was the biggest waste of what could have been the most perfect little horse, literally perfect ever.

 

[doodle]

Sultan -38. Possibly a stroke?
Abbey - 25 ish neurological degeneration (neck arthritis?)
Minto - 21 tendon injury
Soli - 10 field injury

 

[texenstar]

1: 23 (put to sleep due to sever symptoms from suspected tumor in lungs)
2: 25 (Put to sleep due to internal melanomas causing welfare issues)

 

[scrat]

Heavyweight cob 17 sudden death in field (suspected heart attack)
Clyde 14 kidney failure.
Cob cross 10 sudden death, found in field, unknown reason, possibly heart or unknown melanomas (he was grey)
Irish draft 30, PTS, healthy but hind legs failing.
Cob cross, 7 colic PTS

 

[Follysmum]

7 red worm damage from previous owner
3 broken leg kick in field
2 broken leg fell in field
12 found dead in field
12 brain tumour
6 freak accident fell into a post

 

[EmmaC78]

I have lost two:-

18 year old - broken leg from kick in the field
17 year old - heart issue

 

[DirectorFury]

As this has been revived I'm currently collating all the data and should have some results for everyone later tonight .

 

[Spotherisk]

1. Appaloosa x Sec D pts aged 20, uncontrollable sweet itch.
2. Her daughter, 3/4 Sed D x 1/4 Appaloosa, died aged 6 but not in our ownershipcause of death unknown
3. Yearling, blockage in gut, vet though cap (tooth)
4 10, had AM aged five led to toxic laminitis, breathing problems then weakened suspensories, balance issues, EMS. Couldn’t get the weight off him (lived out naked, clipped, muzzled), vet said he would not return to ridden work. PTS before laminitis caused problems again.

my 29 year old is doing fine thanks, rarely had a problem!