Editing Horse (section)

==Lifespan and life stages==
Depending on breed, [[horse care|management]] and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30&nbsp;years.<ref name=Ensminger46/> Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, beyond.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_age.htm|title=The Age of a Horse|publisher=Government of Ontario|website=Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs|author=Wright, B.|date=March 29, 1999|access-date=2009-10-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120031232/http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/info_age.htm|archive-date=January 20, 2010}}</ref> The oldest verifiable record was "[[Old Billy]]", a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62.<ref name=Ensminger46/> In modern times, Sugar Puff, who had been listed in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the world's oldest living pony, died in 2007 at age 56.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=9708|title= World's Oldest Living Pony Dies at 56|access-date= 2007-05-31|author= Ryder, Erin|website= The Horse|archive-date= 2014-01-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140124211019/http://www.thehorse.com/articles/18956/worlds-oldest-living-pony-dies-at-56|url-status= live}}</ref>

Regardless of a horse or pony's actual birth date, for most competition purposes a year is added to its age each January&nbsp;1 of each year in the Northern Hemisphere<ref name=Ensminger46/><ref>{{cite book |title= The Manual of Horsemanship of the British Horse Society and the Pony Club |url= https://archive.org/details/manualofhorseman00pony |url-access= registration |author=British Horse Society |year=1966|edition=6th edition, reprinted 1970 |publisher= British Horse Society |location= Kenilworth, UK |isbn= 0-9548863-1-3|page= [https://archive.org/details/manualofhorseman00pony/page/255 255]}}</ref> and each August&nbsp;1 in the Southern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.studbook.org.au/DisplayPDF.aspx?ty=RULES |format= PDF |title= Rules of the Australian Stud Book |access-date= 2008-07-09 |year= 2007 |publisher= Australian Jockey Club |page= 7 |archive-date= 2013-04-24 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130424221902/http://www.studbook.org.au/DisplayPDF.aspx?ty=RULES |url-status= live }}</ref> The exception is in [[endurance riding]], where the minimum age to compete is based on the animal's actual calendar age.<ref name=Endurance>{{cite web|url= http://www.aerc.org/HorseAge.aspx|title= Equine Age Requirements for AERC Rides|access-date= 2011-07-25|publisher= American Endurance Riding Conference|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110811110201/http://aerc.org/HorseAge.aspx|archive-date= 2011-08-11}}</ref>

The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages:
; [[Foal]]
: A horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a ''suckling'', and a foal that has been weaned is called a ''weanling''.<ref name=Ensminger418>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 418</ref> Most domesticated foals are weaned at five to seven months of age, although foals can be weaned at four months with no adverse physical effects.<ref>[[#Giffin|Giffin]], p. 431</ref>
; [[Yearling (horse)|Yearling]]
: A horse of either sex that is between one and two years old.<ref>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 430</ref>
; [[Colt (horse)|Colt]]
: A male horse under the age of four.<ref>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 415</ref> A common terminology error is to call any young horse a "colt", when the term actually only refers to young male horses.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Becker, Marty|author2=Pavia, Audrey|author3=Spadafori, Gina|author4=Becker, Teresa|title=Why Do Horses Sleep Standing Up?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered About Equine Enigmas, Medical Mysteries, and Befuddling Behaviors|publisher=HCI|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7573-0608-2|url=https://archive.org/details/whydohorsessleep0000unse/page/23|page=[https://archive.org/details/whydohorsessleep0000unse/page/23 23]}}</ref>
; [[Filly]]
: A female horse under the age of four.<ref name=Ensminger418/>
; [[Mare]]
: A female horse four years old and older.<ref>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 422</ref>
; [[Stallion]]
: A non-castrated male horse four years old and older.<ref>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 427</ref> The term "horse" is sometimes used colloquially to refer specifically to a stallion.<ref name=Ensminger420>[[#Ensminger|Ensminger]], p. 420</ref>
; [[Gelding]]
: A [[Neutering|castrated]] male horse of any age.<ref name=Ensminger418/>

In [[horse racing]], these definitions may differ: For example, in the British Isles, [[Thoroughbred]] horse racing defines colts and fillies as less than five years old.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.equibase.com/newfan/glossary-full.cfm|title= Glossary of Horse Racing Terms|access-date= 2008-04-03|website= Equibase.com|publisher= Equibase Company, LLC|archive-date= 2008-05-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080512170317/http://www.equibase.com/newfan/glossary-full.cfm|url-status= live}}</ref> However, Australian Thoroughbred racing defines colts and fillies as less than four years old.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studbook.org.au/DisplayPDF.aspx?ty=RULES|title=Rules of the Australian Stud Book|access-date=2010-02-05|page=9|date=July 2008|publisher=Australian Jockey Club Ltd and Victoria Racing Club Ltd|archive-date=2013-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424221902/http://www.studbook.org.au/DisplayPDF.aspx?ty=RULES|url-status=live}}</ref>