According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record holder for the tallest horse is Priefert’s Radar, a Belgian gelding standing 19.3-1/2 hands (that’s 6′7-1/2″ or just over 2.01m) and weighing 2400 pounds. Radar was born in 1998 in Iowa, and now resides on the Priefert Ranch in Mount Pleasant, Texas, along with Goliath, another Guinness Record Book tallest horse.
At 2,400lb, Radar has a giant appetite to match, putting away 20 gallons of water a day, 40 pounds of hay and 18lb of grain.
The highest jump accomplished by a horse on record is eight feet, two inches (2.47 metres, or about 18 inches over Radar’s withers) by Huaso and Captain Alberton Larraguibel Morales of Chile.
Bob Hedmark claims he has a 10 year old belguim gelding that stands 20 hands high at the withers and weighs 2600 pounds. He plans to take him to the Indianapolis National Belgium Show in September to challenge Radar for his record.
The Priefert Ranch also owns Goliath, now an 18 year old Percheron draft horse gelding. Goliath was the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records title holder for the world’s tallest horse. He stands 19 hands, 1 inch (6′ 5″ at the withers), and weighs around 2200 pounds.
Goliath was born in 1992 in Alberta, Canada and was one of six horses used to pull a Priefert promotional wagon. He was stationed in the team’s “wheel horse” position – closest to the wagon. The team and wagon annually make about 250 appearances throughout the country.
Goliath was retired from the team hitch in 2006. But because of his extreme height, Goliath is still in demand for personal appearances – about 100 throughout the year.
However, at least two even taller horses have lived in the past.
Morocco, shown at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, measured 21.2 hands (7′2″ or 2.18m) and weighed 2835 pounds, while a Shire named Samson (alive sometime during the 1850s) weighed in at 21.2-1/2h and 3360 pounds.
Brooklyn Supreme measured 19.2 hands and weighed 3,200 pounds. “Brookie” wore a 40-inch collar and boasted a girth measurement of 10 feet, 2 inches around. It took 30 inches of iron for each of his horseshoes.
Foaled in 1928, he eventually became the property of C.G. Good of Iowa. Good’s partner, Ralph Fogleman, exhibited the big horse around the country, charging spectators 10 cents apiece. Brookie died in 1948.
Percheron draft horse Dr. LeGear was 21 hands high and weighed 2,995 pounds in 1903.
There is a giant five-year-old Shire horse, from Pakenham, S.E Australia, that unofficially measures a staggering 20.1 hands, or 2.057m tall. He weighs over 1.3 tons (1300kg) – about the same as a small car – and is still growing.
Noddy – whose registered name is Luscombe Nordram – was born at a Queensland stud to a mare and sire from England
