General Horse Questions

[Danno]

Hello again everyone. Thanks again for the warm welcome in the other threads.

I had some general horse questions if I may.

1. What's the average lifespan of a horse?
2. Of that average, how long can one expect said horse friend to be ridable? I'm assuming that once they become seniors they don't really want to be carrying us around.
3. Do horses require daily maintenance aside from feeding? You know how with cats they are pretty much "feed and go" ... do horses require much more work?

Excuse me if these questions are pretty simple. I'm quite new to the world of horses.

[Dina]

1. What's the average lifespan of a horse?
The average life span is around 20-26 years old but some breeds live longer than average,Arabs quite often live till they are quite old,my Arab is 33 maybe even older.
2. Of that average, how long can one expect said horse friend to be ridable?
I think that really depends on the horse,some horses are quite happy to be ridden in their old age and are more happier to be ridden than be retired from riding.As long as the horse is healthy and being ridden isn't affecting its health.Most of the time you know when the time is right to stop riding them,we rode our Arab up until he was almost 30 and he was fine with it.
3. Do horses require daily maintenance aside from feeding?
That really depends on where and how you keep your horses,if you stable them then you need to muck out their stable everyday,and give them fresh water and food and also turn them out into a paddock for a peroid of time so they can stretch their legs and eat some grass,you should also try and groom them everyday and pick out their hooves.
But if you keep your horses out in a paddock 24/7 then you need to feed them hay or hardfeed depending on how much grass they have,you need to poo pick the paddock,groom them and pick out their hooves.
Also their are things like worming,having their feet trimmed and their teeth checked which should be done every month or six weeks etc.

[Danno]

That sheds some light for me. I never would have guessed they lived that long or could be even ridden as seniors - a testament to their enduring strength. They sound like they require more maintenance than I expected but that's OK. I can understand why. Thanks for the repy Dina it was helpful.

[Bay Mare]

Some of the ponies at my old yard were between 39 and 42! The 42 year old couldn't be ridden (she was a rescue) but the 39-41 year olds (2x shetlands and a Heinz pony) were still giving RDA and kids' lessons.

My old YO has a (must be) 26 year old WB who was still going strong and being used in Arthur Kottas demos. He was stronger than horses half his age ... so strong that very few people were deemed good enough to even get on his back! He was a little stiff in the morning and took a while to get going but once he did he was spectacular :)

The horse that I'm jumping in my avatar was 20-something (?24) and would really perk up when there were jumps around.

With regards to their 'maintenance' you will spend a lot more time looking after them and not nearly as much riding them :) There is no way on earth that I can go up to the yard *just* for an hour ... it always stretches out to at least 2.5 and that's without riding/working!

[fishiz3434]

WOW i didn't know they had rda's out of austraila, the one i coach at ha heaps of old horses and ponies which just don't want to stop going, they're great for the kids to see as companions too.

[BeachRiding]

Well, one of my horses is 22, and can still be ridden, he was jumping three feet and galloping around like a loon until he was 21 1/2!

[dcp]

I know a horse who's 24 and is still ridden 4 times a week. Also does some jumping but not much. I knew a shetland who was 44!!! After 16 they are classed as a senior (is that right?)

As for the care of horses each individual is different and so is their environment. I think Wally on here leaves her horses to be horses with lots of land to rome around and they are very happy and in a totally natural environment. (is that right Wally?).

My horse on the other hand is not in such a great environment and doesn't have so much freedom. He is also the kind of horse who appreciates alot of attention although some days he's happy to just be left alone.

[Mehitabel]

a rough guide is that 1 horse year = 3 human years - so a 10 year old horse is about the same 'age' as a 30 year old person. it isn't constant - they grow at a different rate and are more or less physically mature aged 3 or 4, about equivalent to a late-teens person. so they will fill out and change shape, but are 'grown-up' physically and not yet mentally.

so a 30 year old horse is pretty ancient, but they are living longer these days as they get better care throughout their life. 20 years ago, 20 was really really old for a horse - nowadays it is not at all, horses living into their 30s and 40s is getting more and more common. smaller ponies tend to live longer - finer horse like thoroughbreds don't tend to live so long.

how long they are rideable or is very variable, again like people. some 60 year olds are frail and old looking, while some are jetsetting and begin a new life when they retire from work. same for horses - we recently lost a pony at my yard who was in his mid-20s, but was old and had been for a while - he had a rough start in life and aged fast. my pony will be 23 next wednesday and still does everything he did when he was 10. he is beginning to go grey and sag a bit in the middle, but physically he is fit, well and strong. i will be surprised if he doesn't have at least another 5 years of full work in him, and probably more unless he begins to go downhill very fast.

they need a lot of maintenance- hoe much you do yourself depends on where you keep it. my yard has owners who come and visit once a fortnight, the staff do all the day to day care, organise shoeing, worming, vaccinations, etc. other places are 'diy' so the owner has full responsibility and must visit twice a day and do everything themselves.

it's a good idea for a first-time owner to go somewhere like mine, with support so that the horse won't suffer from any mistakes or oversights made by the novice owner. then as you learn what is involved, you can do more yourself.

[...rides again]

a horse will live give or take 25 years. some are rideable right up until the end and some can't it just depends on the horse and if they get injured or sick. Horses should be fed at least 2 times a day. lets say you go to work the horse should be fed before you leave and turned out side into a paddock(or be brought in from the paddock if it was turned out at night) and then fed a gain in the evening. If you are at home at lunch time you could give the horse lunch(dividing the amount into 3 portions instead of two). If you are getting a horse you should have someone knowledgable to help you. horses need their feet trimmed about every 8 weeks and they have to see a vet for stuff same as a cat would. they should have their hooves cleaned out daily so they don't get a fungus. they should ALWAYS have access to clean water and need to have grass or hay where they are turned out. you also don't want the horse to get over or under weight bc that can cause health problems. they also need to be groomed (should be daily) and stall or shed/shelter cleaned out (both these things will help them stay healthier.:)

[Danno]

Most excellent. Thanks everyone for your replies. I sure am learning a lot from you all.