Horse
Depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, beyond. The oldest verifiable record was "Old Billy", a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62. 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.
Horse welfare
At the beginning of the 19th century, mistreatment was common, particularly for draft horses in the era of the July Monarchy. The phrase "swear like a trooper" was coined to refer to frustrated carters, quick to use the whip and scream at their horses. When the horse falls while in harness, the carter often tried to make it stand up with a kick to the stomach. Horses often died of exhaustion at work, in the middle of the street. Multiple sources, including a Victor Hugo poem written in 1838, demonstrated the pervasiveness of the public abuse of workhorses. The rise of capitalism led to crueler treatment, particularly where horses that are unable to work are sent to the knacker. Considered useless, these horses were sometimes made to wait for days before being shot, and as a result died from hunger or thirst. This contrast between the condition of workhorses and the horses of the bourgeoisie and the wealthy caused discomfort in French society. In 1845, the Société Protectrice des Animaux was created to protect horses from abuse. Jacques Philippe Delmas de Grammont, a former cavalry officer, created a league for the protection of the horse in 1850 and helped to pass the law that bears his name that year, prohibiting the deliberate abuse of animals. However, a debate arose in France at the end of the century regarding bullfighting (notably horse hernias), which were counter to the Grammont Law.