How long does the average racehorse live?

Answer 1

Racehorses allowed to live after retirement usually die at 15-20 years from heart failure due to enlarged hearts. However, to produce 1 superior race horse, many horses are bred, and the inferior specimens are usually put down. Many race horses are destroyed because of broken legs, as racing training begins at 1 1/2 years of age, before the horse's skeleton has matured to maximum strength, and weaknesses in the legs often show up in racing as broken legs. The majority of injured or retired race horses are put down as well, as their feeding and care is a liability of the business of horse racing. If these 'spent & destroyed' horses are factored in, the life span of race horses is less than 8 years.