How Long Can a Horse, Donkey, or Mule Live?

Horse owners often want to know how long their horses could live. Owners of donkeys and mules ask the same question. In this article, we take a look at the records for oldest horses, ponies, and mules. We also discuss the average life spans of horses, donkeys, and mules. And we look at whether there are breed differences in equid longevity and other interesting facts about how long normal equids can live.

How Long Has a Horse Lived?

How long can a horse live? According to Guinness World Records, the oldest reliably recorded age for a horse was 62 years for Old Billy (foaled in 1760). He was bred by Edward Robinson of Woolston, Lancashire, U.K., and died on Nov. 27, 1822.

Guinness World Records noted the oldest recorded Thoroughbred racehorse was the 42-year-old chestnut gelding Tango Duke (foaled in 1935). He was owned by Carmen J. Koper of Barongarook, Victoria, Australia. The horse died on Jan. 25, 1978.

While those are extremes, it isn’t unusual today for well-cared-for domesticated horses to live into their 20s or 30s. Some even live into their 40s.

How Long Horses Live: Horse Years vs. Human Years

If a horse can live into its 20s and 30s and beyond, how do horse years compare to human years? The answer is up for debate among horse folks.

One calculation says to multiply horse years times three to get human years. So, if you had a 20-year-old horse, it would be the equivalent of 60 in human years.

Another calculation says to multiply horse age by 6.5 years from birth to age 3. Then multiply horse years by 2.5 to get human years starting at age 4 and up.

So, if your horse is 20 years old, you would:

Multiply 6.5 x 3 = 19.5 human years.
Then multiply 2.5 x 17 = 42.5 human years.
Add those together, and you get the equivalent of 62 human years of age for your 20-year-old horse.

Horse vs. Pony vs. Mule Life Span

Ponies and smaller breeds (such as Arabians) are thought to live longer than horses. Draft horses are thought to have shorter life spans, although some live to ripe old ages.

According to Guinness World Records, Suzy was the oldest recorded pony at 54 years. She was born in 1948 and died in 2002.

The oldest mule on record was Tootsie. He was 56 years old when he died in 2019 at The Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom.

Why Do Some Horses, Donkeys, and Mules Live Longer?

Many factors influence how long a horse or pony lives. Much, like humans, is probably due to genetics. Other influences include how well they were cared for during their lives.

Just as in humans, “old” or “senior” is not a certain age. Some horses are “old” at 18, while others don’t start to show signs of slowing down until they are in their mid- to late 20s.