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.
Equus Survival Trust
In 2006, the Trust partnered with the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University to carry out an equine genome research project on rare horse breeds. Male members of 32 horse and donkey breeds were expected to be tested in the project. In 2007, the organization partnered with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy in a project to preserve the Carolina Marsh Tacky, which is considered to be in critical condition with only 100-150 members of the breed remaining. DNA samples and photos were taken of a herd in South Carolina, considered to be the largest remaining herd, with a heritage tracing back to the American Civil War. DNA testing was undertaken in an effort to identify horses for a new studbook, reveal what DNA markers the breed carries, and map the breed's genetic place among all other horse breeds worldwide. Sixty horses were tested in the effort.