66 W. Hartwig 



Wussow and Hartwig (1956-57). All of the 635 stallions were 

 examined carefully and classified according to breed in order 

 to find the average age of each breed. The following values 

 were noted: 



Average age {yrs.) 

 20 East Prussian stallions 15-3 



24 Hanoverian 13-6 



52 Oldenburg 12-9 



The average lifespan of warm-blooded* stallions was 13-8 

 years. 



Average age {yrs.) 

 150 original Belgian and Dutch stallions 13-2 



53 stallions of the Rhineland 12*6 

 42 imported English cold-blooded stallions 10 • 5 

 284 Belgian stallions, born in Saxony 10-4 



The average lifespan of cold-blooded* stallions was 11-5 

 years. 



Table VII gives a summary of the ages at death of different 

 breeds. This table shows that well-bred or thoroughbred warm- 

 blooded horses have the longest lifespans. They also have the 

 highest percentage of stallions reaching an age of more than 

 15 or 20 years, whereas by the age of 15, 81 per cent of the 

 cold-blooded horses have died and only • 7 per cent reach an 

 age over 20 years. Oldenburg stallions, being heavy but warm- 

 blooded, show a lifespan that is between the well-bred warm- 

 blooded and the cold-blooded horses. From the above it seems 

 that thoroughbred and well-bred warm-blooded horses have 

 a better constitution and live to a greater age than do cold- 

 blooded ones. The constitution of the animals seems less 

 good the less thoroughbred blood they have. This tendency 

 can also be found in examining the lifespan of mares. Flade 

 (1958), for instance, while doing research on 64 Arab thorough- 

 bred mares born between 1921 and 1945 in Poland, found an 



* "Warm-blooded" horses are thoroughbreds; "cold-blooded" horses are 

 heavy ones. 



