News: ‘World’s oldest horse trots his final furlong’
That’s the headline from an article published today in the Daily Mail about Shayne, a 51-year-old Irish Draft who was put to sleep last month.
He was believed to be the oldest horse in the world and enjoyed a comfortable life at Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary in Essex, where he lived until his final days. He was turned out daily for five hours and subsisted on a diet of sugar beet, chaff and alfalfa nuts with cabbage for treats.
Despite a few gray hairs around his eyes and some mild arthritis, Shayne’s caretakers say the horse was in excellent condition. He was humanely euthanized when his legs gave way and the sanctuary staff made the decision to put him down.
According to the article, “A British Horse Society spokesman estimated that Shayne’s years made him the human equivalent of more than 100, but said that ‘the older they get, the harder it is to tell’ once horses get past their average life expectancy of early thirties. On average, every horse year beyond the age of four is roughly the same as 2.5 human years. Using this method, Shayne would easily be receiving birthday cards from the Queen if he were human–at a whopping 120.”
A model horse was created in Shayne’s likeness.
The oldest horse on record is Old Billy, a working barge horse who was 62 years old when he died on November 27, 1822.
Here’s a video of Shayne posted on YouTube 11 months ago:
Read the full story here.
All photos from Shayne’s Facebook page.
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