LONG IN THE TOOTH BUT GOOD AS GOLD

CALYPSO looks like any well-cared-for horse in a lush Gold Coast paddock. Good coat, brushed mane, four hairy legs.

But this paint quarter horse has a rich history few know about.

Calypso is weeks away from turning 50, making him one of the world’s oldest horses.

He has been part of the Nakic family for nearly 45 years and has spent the past 12 years at Belle-Ayr agistment centre in Tallebudgera Valley.

Calypso was gifted to Marie Nakic, of Hope Island, when she was just 10.

The family bought him from a property in country NSW when they lived in Sydney.

“He still has that spark,” Ms Nakic said.

“He’ll still run around with his tail in the air.

“He’ll still canter and gallop … he never kicks, he never bites. He’s a treasured family member.”

The average lifespan of a domestic horse is 25 to 33 years.

Badger, an Arab-Welsh cross, was in the Guinness Book of World Records for oldest horse when he died in 2004 at 51.

He was bettered three years later by Sugar Puff, who was about 56 when he passed. According to Guinness, he was the oldest pony on record.

A stallion in 18th-century England reportedly lived until he was 62. Parts of Old Billy, born in 1760, were put on display at museums.

Belle-Ayr agistment centre owner Jenny DysonHolland said Calypso was a tough little critter.

“He needs spectacles, false teeth and hearing aids but he’s as good as gold,” she joked. “He still scoots around the paddock.

“When the vet came out the other week he went cantering past him.”

Ms Dyson-Holland said the oldest horse she had looked after was 45 and Calypso’s longevity could be down to his breed, which is notoriously hardy.

She said Calypso – who will turn 50 on August 1, every horse’s birthday in Australia – received farrier treatment every month, was regularly vet-checked, and was given two hard feeds each day and rugged up.

“(Horses) deserve to be looked after in their old age, just like humans,” she said.