Wednesday, July 29, 2009

How old will my horse live to be? (Sorry posted twice)?

*Sorry for posting twice, (I put it in the wrong catergory first)
I have a 21 year old (mostly retired, ridden every once and a while) healthy, happy, morgan pony. He is 14.2 and is at a good weight. He has lots of energy and does not wear shoes. He has only been lame once in his life and has never coliced. I understand that ponies can live a long time, and my pony does not look like he is going to be getting too old too quick, but he is old and so I am wondering what age you think he might live to.
He gets constant hay and is turned out all day (taken out of his dirt/ some grass pasture to a grassy paddock for a couple hours every day)
He is fed 1 pound of senior twice a day and is given probios and cosequin.
He loves people and surprisingly is dominant over the two other (16.3 hand) horses he lives with.
So ideas?
Answers:
I have a 14 year old Morgan Pony and my aunt's Welsh Cob X Quarter Horse is 35 and still very healthy. Your Morgan pony seems very healthy. Make sure not to exercise him to much as he gets older and I would guess he could live to be as old as my aunts horse. Most ponies live longer then horses so our ponies will live quite a long time if they are cared for and healthy.
Good Luck
P.S. Make sure to make his last years his golden years!
Death is a curious thing, and there's no gaurantee that a perfectly healthy person (or animal) will live a long life. But if your pony is going to die of natural causes, he probably still has a lot of years left on him. It all depends on how much his body can take. Do you live in an area that has cold winters? I know around here that is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to older horses. A friend of mine has had to put a few of her older horses down simply because the winter months were too much for their bodies to handle.
But don't get caught up worrying about when he might die. My horse is 20 years old, and it crosses my mind once in a while, but he's got the spirit and spunk of a 2 year old. Just enjoy your time with him, and don't take him for granted!
horses can live to be quite old. most horses live between the ages of 25-30 but there are many others who live beyond that into their 40's and sometimes 50's!! my uncle had a quarter horse mare and she lived to be 46 years old! and we rode her up to the last 2 years and finally let her live out her days in the pasture with another mare and she even was like a babysitter to the other mare's 3 foals! lol She was a good old horse and so kind and patient too. she was one in a million that's for sure!!
hope this helps!! give your pony a carrot for me!
On average about 30 years - but this is not written in stone. Like all of us, our pets may not be alive in the next 24 hours for a variety of reasons. Keep up the vet care, exercise and good feed. Look for any changes in behavior. And above all, love and appreciate your Morgan.
To put this into perspective, ask how long will you live or your family etc.
No one knows, theres too many unknowns in the world to be assured of anything with life/death.
Enjoy and love him now....
horses live to be 25-30 but as you say ponies live longer. it just depends on the pony.
I have had an old paint gelding that lived to be 30! He was very viberant until 28 then he started acting his age. When he was 29 1/2 he started having health problems. But was still comfortable so I let him live out the rest of his life as a pampered pet!! He was always quite a spoiled pet (who wasn't ridden after 22) but it got worse at the end he was completely rotten.
Horses usually live to be about 30yrs old at the oldest but it really depends on the horse
Most horses live between 25-30 years. If taken care of properly (daily grooming, exersize, loving, healthy diet, and shots), the horse could life to be almost 40. So take care of you horse, and he will live a happy, long life!
I know that the better taken care of your horse has been the longer he will live. I have a horse that I got as a yearling and still have him today. He is 21 years old this year and still has as much energy as he did when he was 6. He is very healthy, happy and still loves to go ride, go on cattle drives, etc. He doesn't have any physical ailments and just keeps going.
On the other hand we had a horse that was previously owned before we got him and all his previous owner did was run him anywhere and everywhere. Constant running at full speed is hard on the horses body, when he came to live with us as the age of 10 he was fairly worn down, but still loved to go. By the age of 19 his body started shutting down and we ended up having to put him to sleep.
I have also met a 41 year old horse...was pretty much on his last leg. Could still walk fine, but was soooo old. I have never heard of a horse that old since then or before then, and so I really think that it just depends on the horse and how well he/she has been cared for.
From the sounds of it your 21 year old morgan still has some good years ahead of him! So enjoy them!!

No comments:

Post a Comment