do white horses have a shorter lifespan than other colored horses? i've heard that said quite a lot and my grandpa raised quite a lot of horses on his ranch but the only two white ones he had both died at ages 12 and 15 both due to intestinal issues while most of his other differently-colored horses lived well into their late 20s-early 30s. is it a genetic issue related to the white coat gene, sort of like how white cats are prone to deafness?
no, regular degular white horses don't have measurably different lifespans from other colors of the same lines, but there IS a really funky genetic issue related to the white coat that is occasionally produced called "lethal white"!
like deaf cats, these foals are born with pure white coats and blue eyes. however, much worse than the cats, this horse mutation carries a nonfunctional colon. essentially, these foals are born without a digestive system and will invariably die within a few days.
because of this, once lethal white is suspected and proven, the foal is humanely euthanized to prevent it from suffering.
but yeah regular white horses are fine, though they are at higher risk for skin cancer so if you have one be sure to get that checked regularly.
