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

[iknowmyvalue]

I’ll only include my own in this.

12yo - fatal injury (suspect broken neck/head trauma) from rotational fall - 15.2hh, WB

Will interested to see the results. From what I’ve seen the most common reason to PTS an old horse is they’re “down” and I’d put the average age of them to be about 25-26...

 

[doodle]

I’ll only include my own in this.

12yo - fatal injury (suspect broken neck/head trauma) from rotational fall - 15.2hh, WB

Will interested to see the results. From what I’ve seen the most common reason to PTS an old horse is they’re “down” and I’d put the average age of them to be about 25-26...

Yes sultan was “down”. Not in his normal sleeping position in stable. He was 38 and frail but had been absolutely fine the evening before. He was semi conscious and vets best guess was a stroke. To add he was a tb with a wee bit of Arab.

 

[SEL]

Lost a TB at our yard last year who was 31! He was starting to look scrawny but would still take off bucking when he was turned out. Lay down on a sunny day and refused to get up. Vet helped him on his way but I thought then that's everyone's dream for the perfect ending. Sadly most of us have to make the call in more challenging situations ?

 

[canteron]

I think the deciding factor is often whether you can keep at home, or have to pay livery for a retired animal. Mine can loll around at home as we have plenty of grass, etc

1. died at 26 (but retired at 14)
2. still going at 24 (being ridden after 3 years off)

 

[ycbm]

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

Great. I have another two since I started it.

Mine, 9 neck arthritis.

Friend 7 stifle problems.

 

[DirectorFury]

Great. I have another two since I started it.

Mine, 9 neck arthritis.

Friend 7 stifle problems.

Can you give the reasons for the ones in your opening post too please? Just that I don't want to have to discard those numbers when stratifying for reason .

 

[Red-1]

I have some too

One was 17. PTS with ringbone. He wouldn't lie down any more for fear of not getting up, despite Bute. He was sound in walk and could have retired here forever, but no grey horse should be immaculate all of the time. It simply wasn't fair.

One was 12, wobbler. Had a couple of years in retirement after diagnosis, but he became too wobbly to be fair to keep him as a stiff breeze would blow him over. PTS.

One 36 yrs, old pony! He had melanomas, but suddenly they spread throughout his body, and he was breathless coming in from the field at walk. PTS.

 

[ycbm]

1. 20 kidney failure (papers said 15, definitely not correct)
2. 4 blind
3. 10 congenital wobbler
4. 8 kissing spines
5. 11 crazy
6. 26 old age
7. 7 undiagnosed neurological issues, looked to me like ESPA
8. 8
9. 16 colic
10. 13 uncontrollable cushings
11. 7 fits after smashing head
12. 5

.

The last 2 I'm struggling to remember the causes, they weren't mine, I'll update later if it comes back to me.

And another one since then as well 24 colic.

 

[AandK]

29yo IDxTB, otherwise healthy but PTS before winter due to arthritis deteriorating past the line I’d drawn (level of meds plus not able to get down to roll/rest)

 

[Ambers Echo]

I've got another. 6 year old. PTS with undiagnosed, deteriorating condition - possibly some inflammatory joint disease.

 

[Red-1]

I also know three with heart attacks.

One age 7. No prior issues. Taken ill, just off colour and died half an hour later.

One age 14, known to have a heart murmur, but been hunting and team chasing and looking fit and healthy until the day she dropped dead over a fence out hunting.

One age 18, had funny symptoms such as we'ing a lot, swollen sheath and looking off colour. Dropped under saddle but had seemed ok ridden until the very moment he went.

 

[ycbm]

And just heard of another this week, PTS Thursday. Catastrophic breakdown of necrotising ligaments. Horse was 12 I think, certainly no more i knew it when it was broken in.

 

[Red-1]

Oh, I knew a 12 year old too, he had sore feet, the heels would fold over on themselves. Tried various shoeing options, but he was always sore so PTS.

I also knew a 17 year old, sudden nosebleed. Dead before vet got there.

Also, one horse I tried as a prospect to buy, 7 year old. I didn't buy as I suspected lameness. Found that a year later, as an 8yo, it was PTS with ringbone.

 

[Red-1]

Oh, another 7yo. Got a virus. Never recovered. Just always ill, not rideable. Depressed. I think PTS at 8 after organs failed. A real mystery and a lovely horse. Had the best of care and vet attention.

But, to balance that, a friend has just lost hers aged 37! 14.3 pony type.

 

[ycbm]

Missed one. 30 repeated laminitis.

And another maybe 20, not older, multiple leg lameness and hock arthritis.

I've seen a 24 year old die out hunting looking like a heart attack and an 8 year old which died after being beaten to try and get it out of a river up a bank that was too difficult. I wouldn't count that was it was entirely human error as far as I could see. Having said that I think it's my missing 8 year old above.

 

[ycbm]

Sad, isn't it, all these young horses? Just goes to show how fragile they are

 

[Flame_]

This is an interesting thread. Loads of non-horsey people ask me "how long do horses live?". I usually say, "about 30, naturally, but they get ill and injured easily and can't recover the way we do, so in actual fact not all that many make it to anywhere near that".

My horses:
Arab x welsh 32 - arthritis/ mobility pts
Show pony 29 - infected neck which burst and left a huge hole, already had cushings/ lami issues so pts
Pony club pony 13 - laminitis/ cushings
ISH 7 - Recurrent azoturia
ISH 13 - Caudal heel pain/ navicular/ hock issues/ general misery/ unsoundness
Arab 9 - Colic

The last three I consider, at least partially, as management fails on my part. They should usually be capable of surviving until into their twenties, IMO.

 

[conniegirl]

What do you consider a small pony?
Ive several around the 14hh mark, should i count them?

 

[ycbm]

When I wrote it I was thinking of anything too small to be ridden by a normal size adult. What do other people think? The tinies can go on so long they skew the figures!

 

[ycbm]

This is an interesting thread. Loads of non-horsey people ask me "how long do horses live?". I usually say, "about 30, naturally, but they get ill and injured easily and can't recover the way we do, so in actual fact not all that many make it to anywhere near that".

They should usually be capable of surviving until into their twenties, IMO.

I personally think 30 is beyond a normal expectation, a bit like we all know 90 year old people but that's way beyond average life expectancy.

 

[soloequestrian]

I have also lost one since this thread started. Around 23 I think - cancerous growth behind eye that resulted in an uncontrollable nosebleed. He was 16.1 TBxWelsh/draught - not sure but a light cob.

 

[Apercrumbie]

That I've owned:

1. 22, complications from cancer
2. 22, colic

That I know of & sure of their age:
3. 7, grass sickness
4. 6, colic
5. 14, colic
6. 17, laminitis
7. 28, old age
8. 29, old age

There are countless others but due to my memory I can't be sure what age they died!

 

[Laurac13]

16hh tb x Mare age 14 navicular didn’t respond to treatment thoroughly miserable and lame
17.1hh IDxTB aged 18 pts at Newmarket day after colic op which wasn’t successful ?

 

[conniegirl]

38 - welsh B - old age
34 - 14hh SHP - colic
20 - 14hh connemara - ruptured diaphragm
20 - 15hh Arab - ruptured bladder
32 - 14hh connemara - old age
7 - 15hh WB x welsh D - heart attack
28 - 15.2hh pure arab - arthritis
25 - 15hh cob - laminitis

 

[ycbm]

I have also lost one since this thread started. Around 23 I think - cancerous growth behind eye that resulted in an uncontrollable nosebleed. He was 16.1 TBxWelsh/draught - not sure but a light cob.

Thankyou!

DF the 5 year old was eye cancer, probably an offshoot from the brain.

 

[splashgirl45]

1. age 22, difficulty getting up as winter approached, had not been ridden for 3 years due to heart... PTS
2. age 35, ringbone and sidebone, not been ridden for 4 years as not sound but ok in field until the last winter ..PTS
3. age 24, arthritis in knee but ok for gentle hacking, then injured stifle galloping about in the field,tried box rest but no improvement with lots of pain relief so QOL not good.. PTS
4.age 25 not been ridden for 6 months, then went pottery, low grade laminitis and cushings was out of control .PTS

i am lucky as all of mine made old bones but it meant i had to make the decision each time, not easy

 

[Bubblewrap]

26
34
36
24
23

 

[doodle]

Sultan was 15.2hh so not a pony but not huge. He had been owned and on same farm since a 10yo so we know he was 38.

 

[DabDab]

None mine, but those that I knew/can remember the age of:

7yo 16.1hh TB - multiple soft tissue issues, been under continuous vet treatment since age 4

11yo 17hh Irish Sport Horse - dangerous behaviour

15yo 15.2hh Anglo Arab - broken leg from field injury

24yo 16hh wb - arthritis and could no longer get up from lying down

18yo 16hh cob - arthritis

4yo 17.2hh wb - born with joint defects, never resolved

32yo 13.2hh Welsh x - seizure

28yo 14.2hh Arab - cellulitis

 

[DirectorFury]

Right, I'm up to date as of DD's post above (this is more a reminder for myself ). Tonight it'll just be some quick figures, tomorrow/later in the week I'm hoping to finish off an interactive notebook so people can go through this themselves.