New To Horses

The average horse lifespan is 25-40 years, and on average, ponies seem to live longer than horses. Succesful Sport Horses and Sport Ponies are competing further into the later teens. Stress and/or abusive lifestyle can play a part in how fast a horse ages.

Just like in humans, the lifespan of the equine has increased. The advances in healthcare, feed, and supplements have increased how long a horse/pony can live comfortably. Arthritis can creep up on a horse, and like humans, it can make moving around harder. Weight control can be influenced by age for various reasons. Injuries come easier as horses and ponies age. Catastrophic injuries can end a horses life earlier than expected.

How can you tell the age of a horse?

There is no perfect method for determining the age of the horse. However, there are telltale signs to help the new horse person estimate the age of a horse.

Certification

The 8 physical signs to tell age of horses

As a person new to horses, you may see a horse and wonder how old they are.

1. The horse may have a dip in their back where the saddle usually sits
2. The withers and back can become boney
3. The lower lip may droop
4. The intentions above their eye have a deeper indention then younger horses
5. They also get grey hairs around the face and eyes, and body
6. The horse’s coat may appear to be dull, not shiny
7. The hair may be longer than other horses
8. Teeth are darker, elongated, and angle forward

Physical Signs of an Aging Horse

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Teeth

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5 ways to tell horse age by teeth

• A horse’s teeth will start looking like a person with an overbite, around age 20 years and above. The angle of the arcade is the same on the top and bottom rows. The more acute the angle, the older the horse is.

• The biting edge of the incisors is called the table service and develops into three shapes. A younger horse has long and narrow shaped incisors, while an adult horse has oval looking incisors. As a horse ages, the incisors become triangular.

• A cup is a deep brown linear mark on the incisor surface. The cup disappears first from the central incisors around 9 years of age. Once all the cups have worn away, the horse is said to be smooth mouthed, and over 25 years old.

• A great resource I like is from the American Association of Equine Practitioners. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/vet_accreditation/downloads/appendix-g-aging-horse.pdf

Happy Birthday Day

“Regardless of a horse or pony’s actual birth date, for most competition purposes a year is added to its age each January 1 of each year in the Northern Hemisphere and each August 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. The exception is in endurance riding, where the minimum age to compete is based on the animal’s actual calendar age.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse#cite_note-Ensminger46-7

The oldest horse ever

“The greatest age reliably recorded for a horse is 62 years for Old Billy (foaled 1760), bred by Edward Robinson of Woolston, Lancashire, UK. Old Billy died on 27 November 1822. <br /> Thoroughbred &#160; The oldest recorded thoroughbred racehorse was the 42-year-old chestnut gelding Tango Duke (foaled 1935), owned by Carmen J. Koper of Barongarook, Victoria, Australia. The horse died on 25 January 1978.” Guinness world record https://tinyurl.com/yagk4o5h

What is a female horse called and more

• Foal: A foal of either sex less than one-year-old.
• Yearling: Between one and two years old
• Colt: A male horse under the age of four. 
• Filly: A female horse under the age of four.
• Mare: A female horse four years old and older.
• Stallion: A non-castrated male horse four years old and older. 
• Gelding: A castrated male horse of any age.