AnAge entry for Equus caballus

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Horses suffer from a form of mechanical senescence in their teeth that limits their longevity. As in dogs (Canis familiaris), dwarf or miniature horses appear to live longer [0742]. One Icelandic miniature horse named "Tulle" is reported to have lived 57 years (Richard Miller, pers. comm.). Anecdotal evidence tells of a horse, called "Old Billy," that lived for 62 years in England, but that record is unverified.

Life history traits (averages)

Metabolism

References

[0742] Miller and Austad (2006), Growth and aging: why do big dogs die young?
[0743] Brosnahan and Paradis (2003), Assessment of clinical characteristics, management practices, and activities of geriatric horses, PubMed
[0744] Brosnahan and Paradis (2003), Demographic and clinical characteristics of geriatric horses: 467 cases (1989-1999), PubMed
[0730] Smith et al. (2003), Body mass of late Quaternary mammals
[0282] McFarlane et al. (2001), Age-related quantitative alterations in lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin isotypes in healthy horses, PubMed
[0283] Fukuda et al. (2001), Age-related changes in the testes of horses, PubMed
[0284] Birch et al. (1999), Age-related changes to the molecular and cellular components of equine flexor tendons, PubMed
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0002] Caleb Finch (1990), Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome
[0272] Anderson and King (1988), Subclinical lumbar polyradiculopathy in multiple aged mammalian species, PubMed

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