Life cycle of equines...

From Jim: Equines are herd/prey herbivores. The evolutionary processes which shaped their successful behaviors also impacted their life cycle. When you look at a freshly born foal, their legs are hard to overlook. They have very small, but perfectly formed hooves, a brush of a tail, great big eyes, tiny little milk teeth in smallish head. They were packaged to be able to pass through the birth canal and still have the capacity to quickly stand, move with the herd, and reach the mare's udder. Within hours, they are ready to be with the herd as it seeks forage and water. When a young horse grows, it's kind of piecemeal. They high in rear, then leggy in the front, then thin-thin-thin, then more bulky, and so on and so on. They always able to stay with the herd as they grow. For our human purposes, they need at least 3 and better 4 years before starting to do our "work". This has to do with their total development. Their muscles, connective tissues, bones, nervous system, heart and lungs need to mature. So does their mind. A horse that is mentally immature will be much harder to train and manage. Oh sure, ground manners, and "imprinting" are beneficial, but real work needs to wait until the animal is grown. Think about this when you consider the racing industry's practices. Horses life span varies by breed, but generally, they enjoy a healthy adult life. Again, those animals that were prone to be sick or disabled by genetic issues didn't survive to reproduce. Unfortunately, our enlightened breeding practices-looking for a particular trait or characteristic, i.e., speed, has undone a lot of what nature had addressed. We now have fast horses with bad feet, pretty Appies that go blind, drafts with leg problems, and a myriad of other issues we've bred in. The horse ages well and by it's late teens is becoming a senior. Most would be eliminated from the herd as the consequences of aging made them more vulnerable to predation, injury, or exposure. In a natural setting, the healthier and younger animals would drive the older animals away from the best food and shelter. By their early 20's, a horse's teeth stop erupting. All further wear results in the teeth being worn to the gums. The gut thickens and becomes less efficient. Soles thin out and hoof walls weaken. The senses begin to fail. As connective tissues age and weaken, the conformation changes, down on the pasterns, a sway in the back, deep pockets over the eyes, a pronounced tail root all start to appear. They look like an old horse. Their teeth are worn down in the arcades, the front teeth long, round, no groove, and very "flat" with the jaw line. End of life for horses in a natural setting comes fairly swiftly. They fall prey, suffer a catastrophic injury, or become fatally ill with a disease. When they can't stay with the herd, they're done. Most of the time, this occurs well before their dental issues are a problem. We, with modern vet care, have extended the lifespan of our pets. We have also kept the quality of their lives at a better level. We can control and modify their diet. We can protect them from disease and intervene when they're sick or injured. We can shelter them from exposure. Having said that, horses are what they are. They are prey/herd animals that eat plants. They need time to grow when young, good care during their working adult years, and a safe supportive retirement. That's what we owe them when we take them from what nature shaped them for.