Australia's oldest living horse Calypso dies at the age of 50

Australia's oldest living horse Calypso has died at the age of 50 on the Gold Coast on Saturday. Calypso was believed to be one of Australia's oldest living horse when he celebrated his 50th birthday in the Tallebudgera Valley on August 1 last year. According to media reports, Calypso was found dead by his carer Jenny Dyson-Holland in his paddock on the morning of February 8. 

Calypso the horse

As per reports, Calypso was a quarter horse born in 1969 in New South Wales and spent his initial years at a riding school in the region before he was bought by the Nakic family and was relocated to the Gold Coast in 2004. Quarter horses are renowned for being tough but Calypso living for 50 years was something worth celebrating as horses generally live to between 25 and 30 years of age. 

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According to media reports, Calypso's 50 years is equivalent to 150 years of human life, which again shows how tough the horse was. "Right to the last day he was lively, eating, and happy", media reports quoted his carer Jenny Dyson-Holland as saying. Calypso had become completely blind and dead in his final years but that didn't stop him from being lively. 

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Calypso enjoyed a huge fan base as children would come to visit him from nearby neighbourhoods. His fan base was not just limited to neighbouring surroundings but it widely extended across social media as well. Calypso's long life surprised everyone including veterinarian Rhian Partridge who said that the horse has done amazingly well to get to this age. 

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However, the title of the longest living horse still lies with Old Billy, who lived for nearly 62 years. As per reports, Old Billy was born in 1760 in Woolston, Lancashire, England and died in the year 1822. Old Billy's skull is still displayed at the Manchester Museum and his taxidermied skin was stuffed and gifted to the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery & Bedford Museums.

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(With Agency Inputs)