A mare that might have been one of the world’s oldest horses has died at the Remus Horse Sanctuary in Essex, England, at the age of 50.

The sanctuary’s website said that Orchid, a Thoroughbred/Arabian cross broodmare, had been maltreated for many years before she was rescued and brought to the facility in 2014. Orchid’s condition continued to improve until earlier this month when she colicked and subsequently died.

In the United Kingdom, just 2% of horses live to the age of 30, the Remus website said. But Carla Sommardahl, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, a clinical associate professor at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center, the longevity of U.S. horses is on the rise.

Sommardahl said equids aged 20 years or older are generally considered seniors, but horses can exhibit signs of old age much earlier, she said. But thanks to improvements in equine nutrition and health care, more horses are living well into their 20s and into their 30s, she said

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