The progenitors of all existing horses are representatives of heavy-duty breeds. These horses were used in antiquity to work in meadows and fields. Among them there are champions - the largest horses, whose photos can be found on the pages of the Guinness Book of Records.
Brabancon
The Brabancon is one of the largest horse breeds. It was bred by the efforts of Belgian breeders. Currently, it is considered the strongest of all existing breeds. It is capable of transporting heavy loads over long distances. Often, Belgian Brabancons are used instead of tractors in agriculture. Its representatives weigh about 700-1000 kg with a height of 180 cm. The color of these animals is bay, gray or red.
Percheron
Horses that belong to this breed may have a gray color or be black. Their height at the withers is 175 cm, which means that Percherons are among the most enduring and tall in the world. Bred in the 19th century in France, this breed is now used in all parts of the world for breeding work. Descendants of Percherons are used in the United States of America as farm and carriage horses.
Percherons were highly valued by the knights, because even with the heavy weight of the equipment, their tread remained quiet. They are graceful, smart, unpretentious in food. Thanks to their peaceful and patient nature, they quickly acquire new skills.
Russian heavy truck
Since ancient times, Russia has been famous for its strong and hardy breeds of horses. These include the Russian heavy truck, which gained fame outside of Russia. Their lineage goes back to the 19th century. The breed was bred as a result of crossing Percherons and Ardenes. Because of this, the horses were called Russian Ardennes. Representatives of one of the largest breeds of horses are slightly inferior in size to their record holder relatives. However, Russian heavy trucks have a number of features that make them popular. First, these horses live quite a long time. Secondly, they are economical in feed. Thirdly, they feel comfortable in harness. Fourthly, they give a high offspring.
This breed was bred as a result of crossing Brabancons with draft draft mares. These horses are smaller than their ancestors, they are more mobile and active. Their average height is 175 cm, and their weight does not exceed 1 ton.
This is another large breed, representatives of which are considered champions in weight or height. She was bred as a result of crossing English Shires and Scottish Clydesdales with Russian horses.
The Vladimir heavy truck is a unique breed, whose representatives are able to easily transport the heaviest loads over long distances. They hold the absolute record: they run 2 kilometers at a trot in 5 minutes! And this despite the fact that the largest weight of horses is 1600 kg. The heavy truck got its name due to the fact that it was bred in the Vladimir region. These horses can be used for riding, harnessed to wagons.
Scottish Clydesdale
These horses laid the foundation for a new breed - the Scottish draft horses. They were crossed with Flemish stallions and received graceful, but incredibly strong animals that are able to charm everyone at solemn ceremonies or perform agricultural work. They were first presented on international exhibition which took place in 1826.
Irish heavy truck
Horses that are representatives of this breed are famous for their hard work. They can pull a plow, transport large loads over rather long distances. In the past, hunters used them while traveling.
After interest in the Irish heavy trucks was lost, their population was significantly reduced. Subsequently, the situation was taken under control by crossing them with shires. As a result, the genus has been improved. Modern heavy trucks are unpretentious horses that have gained popularity all over the world.
Shires
The breed of the largest horses in the world is English heavy trucks, or shires. Their history began in the era of Antiquity. In modern shires, the blood of war horses that existed during the time of the Roman legions, and medieval horses that accompanied knights everywhere, flows. Among the shires, the horse Samson stands out, whose height was 2 meters 20 cm. We will talk about him a little later. English heavy trucks have a proportional, graceful physique. On the hind legs"stockings" are located. The suit can be black, gray, bay or red.
English heavy trucks are very hardy horses, as their ancestors were forced to transport knightly armor and equipment over long distances. Subsequently, one of the monarchs issued a decree that foals, whose growth is not too high, were not raised. All forces were thrown into caring for the largest horses. Shires have found application in military affairs, as riding horses, they can be harnessed to carts. All English draft horses grow long hair on their legs. The weight of horses often exceeds 1 ton.
record holders
Above, you got acquainted with the breeds of the largest horses, now it's time to find out which 10 horses were listed in the Guinness Book of Records due to their dimensions.
- The English heavy truck Digger is part of the Royal Horse Guards. At present, his height is almost 2 meters, to be more precise - 196 cm. His body weight is 1.2 tons. Despite the fact that the horse is 12 years old, the process of its growth has not yet stopped. This is due to the fact that the skeleton of the horse develops abnormally.
- British stallion nicknamed Cracker eats 2 bunches of dry grass daily, drinks more than 100 liters clean water and eat grain. No wonder, because he weighs 1.2 tons, and his height is only 2 cm less than 2 meters.
- Brooklyn Supreme is a very powerful animal. His body weight is approximately equal to 1451 kg, and at the withers he reaches a height of 198 cm, like the Briton Cracker.
- Shire named Nordrem Lascombe will not be easy to saddle even for an experienced rider, because he weighs 1.3 tons, and his height exceeds 2 meters. At the withers, his height is 205 cm.
- The bay British gelding Duke has grown to 207 cm. His body weight is 1310 kg. Instead of a thick mane, the horse has a long bang.
- The purebred Percheron, whose name sounds like Doctor Le Ger, was born in France. At the withers, its height reaches 213 cm, while its weight exceeds 1.4 tons. This Percheron is the largest representative of the breed, he is the largest horse in France since the birth of horse breeding in this country.
- The Moroccan horse was once considered the largest animal in the world. His height is 215 cm. His body weight is approximately 1300 kg. but exact figure no one can name, since only one image of a horse has survived, and the quality of the photo is terrible.
- Gelding Big Jake, originally from Belgium, is considered the world standard of strength and endurance. With a height of 217 cm, he weighs 1600 kg. Hippologists from all over the world are ready to give a lot of money to get the seed of this horse and improve the performance of their horses.
- The stallion, nicknamed Po, went down in history due to his height, which is 220 cm. The body weight of this animal reaches 1.5 tons. This horse is inferior to Big Jake in weight due to a different exterior. For example, his torso is much shorter.
- Thoroughbred Shire Samson was named the absolute champion among horses from around the world. Indeed, at the withers, the height of the animal reaches 220 cm, body weight - 1520 kg.
These were the 10 largest horses that have ever existed on our planet. As you may have noticed, the title of "Most big horse"In the Guinness Book of Records, not one animal wears, but several at once.
The need for large and huge horses arose in the Middle Ages. The horse had to withstand the weight of not only a knight in heavy armor, but also numerous weapons adjacent to it. There is a version that some modern breeds have the roots of knightly war horses, which were called destrie.
Trotters reached two meters in height and weighed up to one ton. Their distant relatives are French Percherons, English Shires and Belgian Brabancons. The largest horses in the world belong to these breeds. We are offering to you interesting information about the largest horses in the world, living in our time, as well as living in the last and the century before last.
The giant Brooklyn Supreme of the Brabancon breed is ranked tenth among the largest stallions in the world. Having reached the age of ten, the horse weighed 1450 kilograms and reached a height of 1 meter 98 centimeters. To shoe a colossus, horseshoes of 3.5 kilograms were required, when an ordinary average horseshoe weighs up to 700 grams. Brooklyn lived twenty years in Iowa. It should be noted that representatives of this breed are not only the largest in the world, but also the most expensive.
The English stallion Cracker is the ninth largest horse in the world. It is so high that its owner has to climb it with a ladder. A giant makes him a weight of 1200 kilograms and a height reaching two meters at the withers. Cracker maintains his weight with a simple diet: two bales of hay, carrots and 130 liters of water every day. And he loves sugar. Despite his majesty, Cracker is very friendly and obedient. The owner calls him an obedient gentleman. The stallion enjoys enviable popularity and has been a television star since birth.
A horse named Noddy from Australia ranks eighth in the ranking. Nordrem Lascombe ( full name) has a height of 2.05 meters and a body weight of 1300 kg. With his massive build, Noddy took after his grandfather Edward, who lived in England, who also held the record for height. The maintenance of the giant costs his mistress D. Greenman not at all cheap, so he himself has to earn extra money on the farm. Although for a stallion with such weight and height, transporting goods is a very difficult task.
A giant Shire named Digger is on the seventh line in the ranking of the largest horses in the world of all time. A stallion weighing 1200 kg reaches at the withers this moment 2.04 meters. And at 4 years old, a very young age for a horse, Digger grew to 196 cm. His incessant growth and remarkable appetite seriously worried the first owner and he transferred him to another farmer for education. Digger turns 12 this year. And he feels great, eating one and a half meter stack of hay every day and drinking all one hundred liters of water.
The British gelding Duke ranked sixth among the largest stallions in the world. Today, Duke's height is 2.07 meters. The owner of the giant claims that a special diet, including unusual variety apples and herbal infusions.
Duke's growth has not yet stopped and every year he adds a few centimeters. There are all prerequisites that it is this giant that in the near future will supply new record in height. Daily diet pet consists of 10 kg of grain and hay, a dozen buckets of water and 20 liters herbal tea. Despite his impressive size, Duke is cowardly and cannot stand rodents, which he is terrified of.
The stallion of the French breed Percheron Doctor Le Gers was born in 1902. The height of the gelding reached 2.13 meters, and he weighed no less than 1400 kg. Usually the size of this breed fluctuates between 1.7-1.8 meters, but the Doctor managed to break the records of his relatives.
The Moroccan stallion of the Percheron breed was one of the largest in the world. Its weight was about 1300 kg, and the growth at the withers reached 2.15 meters. Almost nothing has been preserved about this giant. documentary facts except for one photo.
The Belgian gelding Big Jake, included in the Guinness Book of Records, is in third place among the largest horses in the world. An eleven-year-old horse reaches 217 cm at the withers and has a body weight comparable to an SUV: its weight is 2600 kg. He lives in the USA in the state of Michigan. Especially for him, a stall of 36 sq.m. was built. In his youth, Jake had a violent temper that sometimes did not even listen to the owner.
With age, Big Jake settled down and became a real star, taking part in various talk shows. An interesting fact is that the giant took part in the tour with the tiniest horse on earth named Einstein. And most importantly, his impressive size does not prevent him from performing gracefully on stage, gathering tens of thousands of spectators. In 2010, Big Jake was officially recognized as the largest horse living on the planet.
The rating of the largest horses in the world was previously headed by the Great Sampson, but now it is in second place. The stallion had incredible dimensions and reached 2.20 meters at the withers, and its body weight was about 1.5 tons! The animal lived back in the 19th century in England and belonged to the Shire breed. Having reached the age of four, the horse was already considered the most powerful and huge not only in its country, but also on the entire planet.
Only the next stallion managed to outdo the size of Sampson. The first place among the most gigantic horses in the world is occupied by a giant named Poe, named after the popular writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. The gelding reaches almost three meters in height and weighs about 1.5 tons. On the day, the stallion eats several kilograms of grain, hay and quenches his thirst with eight buckets of water.
In fact, it's great to supplement your knowledge with information about such huge and graceful horses. Share your impressions, would you like to ride such a giant horse, put likes.
Even more interesting
The largest horse in the world held its title until 2012, this is a stallion from Texas Remington, his height is almost 2 meters. But after some time in the Guinness Book of Records, his place was taken by the Belgian gelding, whose name was Big Jake, now he is 11 years old, his height was 2.17 meters.
Big Jake is very huge, its weight is 2600 kilograms (as the weight of one SUV). Next to him, any person can seem like a midget. The stallion is currently performing in a variety of talk shows, actively participating in them. Gelding recently became the highlight of a television program that was created for charitable foundation"House of Ronald McDonald". This foundation provides charitable assistance to people in need around the world.
In history, more than 100 years ago, a horse of the Percheron breed was born (1902), who was given the nickname Doctor Le Ger. Its height reached 214 centimeters, and its weight was 1400 kilograms, almost the same weight as a middle-class car. This breed of horse was bred and designed for hard work. But after some time they began to be used because of the soft ride for horseback riding. Percheron has an average height of 170 - 180 centimeters, the color of the horse is usually gray.
The very first Percherons were bred in France in the 19th century, the breed got its name from the Perche region of the same name. This type horses are also raised in other European countries and in Russia.
A stallion from the UK named Duke has a height of 2.07 meters. Its owner claims that the growth of this horse is directly related to his special diet, the animal eats a special variety of apples and herbal infusion. Such nutrition stimulates the growth of the animal and gives strength. Over the past few years, Duke has grown several centimeters a year, his growth does not stop. It is possible that this horse in a few years will become the tallest horse on the planet.
Duke's appetite, as his owner says, can be envied by many. A horse in one day eats more than 8 kilograms of grain and hay, drinks at least 100 liters of water, and approximately 20 liters of tea. But this horse, despite its size, has a timid character, he is afraid of small mice. He treats other horses kindly, which speaks of his kindness and friendliness.
There is also a Shire breed horse Noddy in the world, her height is 2.05 meters, now she is 5 years old. Shires have always been quite tall, this breed was bred in England, individuals are classified as heavy trucks. On average, their height is 1.8 meters, but some horses are slightly taller.
Shires take their origin from English mares and Dutch stallions. Animals that are smaller are used for riding in the saddle, but large individuals may only be suitable for carting. This type of horse has a wide chest and sacrum along with the back, their legs are covered with white stockings, and there is a small characteristic bald patch on the head.
Sampson the horse is the world record holder due to his height. He was born in 1846 in the small English county of Bedfordshire. His owner, Tomma Skliver, measured the horse's height if these historical references accurate, it was 2.2 meters. Sampson at that time was 4 years old, the animal weighed relatively little, about 1.5 tons. At the age of one and a half, Sampson was castrated, maybe this affected the growth hormone, and the horse began to grow rapidly.
Recently in funds mass media there was information that the current record for the largest horse would soon be broken. This was stated by English grooms who are experimenting on a new breed, they have already had the first positive results. Perhaps soon they will announce themselves.
Even in ancient times, people learned to control horses, and since then these stunningly beautiful and graceful animals have been used in various areas of life. They have the strength and power to surprise the most hardened skeptics. Among the variety of horse breeds, there are those that stand out significantly from the general background.
Horse Cracker
The largest horse in the world, the photo of which is given below, is called Cracker. He was born twenty years ago in Lincolnshire, UK. And immediately attracted the attention of the public - its size amazed and delighted. Now he weighs more than a ton, and his growth at the withers almost reaches the two-meter mark, if we take the tips of the ears as the starting point of measurement, then 2.5 meters will come out. To saddle the giant, the hostess has to use a ladder.
The cracker belongs to the breed of Shire geldings. They themselves are large, heavy and very strong - it is not for nothing that they are considered heavy trucks. Their tasks included a special mission - their riders were knights dressed in heavy armor. They did an excellent job with the mission of the warhorse. All representatives of this breed are distinguished by high growth, usually 170-185 cm at the withers and a considerable weight of eight hundred kilograms and above. It is noteworthy that the largest horse in the world was Samson, his photo and story about him are a little lower in the text.
The largest horse in the world has a good-natured, calm disposition. In all his appearance, majesty shines through - the horse clearly knows his own worth. Not everyone dares to ride it - a high and large shire causes admiration and awe.
The cracker has an excellent appetite - it needs 90 liters of liquid and 25 kg of hay per day.
Shires
About 400 years ago, shires lived only in England, Ireland, Holland. Now they are bred all over the world. The appearance of the horses of this breed is characterized by "white stockings" on the hind legs, a slight bald spot on the head. In general, the structure of the horse is proportional. The croup is muscular, the back is broad, the sacrum and chest are excellently developed, the head is large and the forehead is broad. Most often there are handsome black, bay and karakov suits, less often - gray.
Of the minuses - the impossibility of high jumps. Shiram is incredibly difficult to move through swampy areas and streams. But the work of breeders is able to reduce this shortcoming to nothing. hallmark giant horses are legs - on the joints of which there is a lush overgrowth - "Frieze". Perhaps it was the shires that became the prototype of the famous sivka-burka - it was too good, handsome!
Samson
He has been dead for a long time, but no one has succeeded in surpassing him. The hero was born in 1846 in England. Height at the withers reached 2.2 m, and weight - 1520 kg.
French percherons are also widely used - these powerful giants can be found on any of the continents. Their strength and courage were loved by many, and they became indispensable in agricultural activities and on the battlefield. Now Percherons, which have a wide deep chest, muscular hips and powerful legs, are used to improve other breeds. In general, there is a lot of blood in the breed from Arabian horses - they have been vaccinated for a long time. This heavy, large horse, whose movements are light and graceful, is extremely hardy. Such a horse is able to trot about sixty kilometers in a day.
Usually the height of percherons varies within one hundred and sixty centimeters, the color is white or black. Representatives of this breed are distinguished by a large head with a high noble forehead, soft long ears, lively shiny eyes, and an even profile. The largest horse among them was a racehorse named dr. Le Gear. He was born at the very beginning of the twentieth century, weighed one thousand three hundred and seventy kilograms, and the height at the withers was equal to two hundred and thirteen centimeters.
Igor Nikolaev
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The best horses - what should they be? In fact, the question belongs to the category of rhetorical. Some people like powerful and huge heavy trucks, others are crazy about thoroughbred horsemen, fast as the wind, well, and still others do not like their miniature falabella, and consider it the best horse in the world.
The most-most horses in the world
This is a matter of taste for everyone, and we do not undertake to argue about what is good for the horse and what is not. Our task is to tell about the “best of the best”, that is, about the record holders among the horse tribe. So, let's begin…
The "oldest" of the currently known breeds of these animals is considered to be Arabic. On the territory of the Arabian Peninsula, the first mention of horses found by archaeologists dates back to the tenth century BC. However, in modern form, Arabian horses have been known since the seventh century AD, so it cannot be called the most ancient of the cultural breeds.
Arabian stallion
It is worth noting that no other horse breed has made such a contribution to the development of modern horse breeding as this one. Hippologists call these animals the "golden fund" of the entire world selection.
The very first cultivated horse breed
Akhal-Teke are considered the first breed, the breeding of which took place with the direct participation of man.
The selection of this thoroughbred horse began in the third millennium BC, on the territory of modern Turkmenistan, in the Akhal oasis. This place gave the name to this variety. Akhal-Tekes are still bred "in themselves", not allowing the blood of other breed groups. However, the hot and capricious nature prevented the widespread distribution of Akhal-Teke horses, and in the world breeding work they are significantly inferior to the Arabian horses.
The heaviest horse in the world
In this nomination, the championship belongs, of course, to the heavy truck of the Belgian Brabancon breed.
A bay-roan stallion named Brooklyn Supreme at the age of ten weighed 1451 kilograms, his height at the withers was one meter ninety-eight centimeters.
The total mass of the horseshoes of this mighty giant was 13 kilograms 600 grams. However, there is a horse that looked even more impressive than this monster of the horse world.
The biggest horse
The absolute champion in its growth among all the horses in the world was a stallion named Sampson, who belonged to the breed of English heavy trucks - Shires. His height at the withers was two meters nineteen centimeters, for which he received a second nickname - Mammoth.
This colossus gave birth in 1846 in England, in Toddington Mills. At the time of setting this phenomenal record, he was four years old. They say that he weighed more than one and a half tons, but, alas, no evidence or photographs have been preserved.
The smallest horses
Argentine Falabella ponies are the smallest representatives of these animals. The very first Falabella, named Recco de Roca, weighed less than twelve kilograms and grew at the withers to only 38 centimeters.
However, the miniature record belongs to another representative of these horse midgets. In 1975, a stallion of this breed named Little Pamkin stopped growing, and impartial measurements recorded a height of 35.5 centimeters, and a weight of only 9 kilograms 70 grams.
The horse is long-lived
The real Methuselah among these animals was a draft horse named Billy, who was born in England in the town of Woolston. He managed to live as long as 62 years, and this despite the fact that he is up to the very last days did the hardest work - dragged barges along the river. His owner said that Billy was in excellent health and practically did not get sick. The years of life of this record holder are 1760-1822, and so far none of the horses has managed to live such a long life.
The strongest horses
Here we again return to heavy trucks. The absolute record at the moment is the result shown by a pair of representatives of these animals, who in a place called Nester (USA, Michigan) managed to budge a load weighing 130.9 tons and dragged it as much as 402 meters. The cargo lay on a sledge and was dragged along the frozen road.
In 1893, a pair of English Shires, whose own weight was 1587 kilograms, dragged fifty logs with a total weight of 42.3 tons.
In April 1924, an exhibition was held in Wembley (England), at which two amazing results were shown at once. The stallion Vulkan, hitched to a dynamometer, produced a pulling force of 29.7 tons! In the same place, another pair of heavy trucks gave out a traction jerk of 51 tons.
Here, of course, there are no equal horses of thoroughbred riding breed, which to this day are the fastest in the world.
A stallion named Big Racket in 1945 at the races in Mexico City showed an amazing result equal to 69.6 kilometers per hour (at a distance of a quarter mile).
Until now, none of their horses ran faster.
The fastest horse in the world - Big Racket
speed endurance record
The fastest horse in the world at a distance of one mile is still a horse, whose name was Pine Chip. He set a time of one minute 51 seconds back in 1994, and to this day no one has been able to beat this record.
highest jump
A stallion named Huaso jumped the highest in the world, in the saddle of which sat a rider named Morales.
At competitions in Chile, he overcame an obstacle with a height of two meters forty-seven centimeters, and this was back in 1949.
The farthest jump
A horse named Something at a competition in Johannesburg (South Africa) made the farthest jump in the world. In 1975, he managed to jump over a moat with water eight meters and forty centimeters wide.
Most prolific
As you know, female horses bear offspring for quite a long time - 11 months, and therefore a large number they cannot boast of their foals. Most often, mares give birth to one foal. However, among the horses there are "mother-heroines". It is reliably known that one mare, whose name, unfortunately, has sunk into oblivion, gave birth and nursed 19 foals in her life.
Long hair record
The mane is rightfully considered one of the main decorations of any of these animals, and the longer it is, the more spectacular the horse looks. At the moment, the record for the length of this horse pride belongs to a stallion named Dino. His luxurious hairstyle has grown right up to three meters four centimeters!
This place is occupied by a thoroughbred named Sharif Dancer. For this beautiful stallion with an amazing pedigree, in which there were many winners of the most prestigious races in the world, the Arab sheikh paid as much as ... forty million US dollars!
The most expensive horse Sharif Dancer
largest horse heart
We all know that horses are very kind and sympathetic animals. They say about such people - "he has a big heart." If we approach this from a mathematical point of view, then the largest weight of this organ was recorded in a thoroughbred riding breed named Eclipse.
This figure was 6.3 kilograms.