The biggest horse. The largest horse in the world photo. Medium Percherons are characterized by

Horses are one of the first animals domesticated by man, and have served him for several thousand years. They were a means of high-speed transportation, a draft force, and assistants to the peasants in their hard work. It was to help people with hard work that large, heavy breeds were bred. All of them have a strong physique, developed muscles and large dimensions. And, of course, among them there are their own record holders.

Heavy draft breeds

Heavy draft breeds began to be bred in the XYII–XYIII centuries. During this era, the age of knightly horses ended, mechanisms appeared as a means of transportation, and industry began to develop at a tremendous pace.

The need for animals that can transport cargo has increased many times over, so breeders in many countries have begun working on producing a new type of horse - draft horses. Now the average height of representatives of heavy draft breeds is 1.6 m, and weight is 0.9 tons.

Did you know?Horse eyes are 9 times larger than human eyes. These are the largest eyes among mammals.

The first heavy trucks were bred in Great Britain in the 18th century. British horses were distinguished by their strong physique and great endurance. These qualities formed the basis for further selective selection. In an era where there were no breed standards, fairs became the selection criterion.

Consumer demand formed the requirements, and horse breeders tried to implement them. In the course of the work, several directions for development were formed, which determined what a modern heavy truck looks like.

Horse breeders focused on the following positions:

• in Great Britain: physique, wiring, color, blood purity;
• in Europe: strength, good ability to acclimatize in any conditions, wiring.

Thanks to this focus, today’s variety of heavy trucks has been developed. Belgian and French horses are smaller than English horses, but they adapt better to harsh conditions habitat and simple diet. And English horses are more massive and load-carrying.

Large horses from Belgium - Arden and Brabançon

The homeland of the Ardennes breed is the Ardennes Mountains. The first mention of representatives of the Ardennes Mountains belongs to Julius Caesar. He describes them as simple, strong and tireless horses. A detailed description can be found in his “Notes on the Gallic War”.
The Ardens took part in crusades Godfrey of Bullon and Napoleonic wars. Used in cavalry and artillery. They are distinguished by increased endurance and loyalty both in nutrition and in maintenance.

Over the centuries, Ardennes horses have been crossed with many breeds. So, Napoleon added the blood of Arabian horses to them. And they owe their modern physique to the Brabançons, with whom they were crossed in the 19th century to improve the qualities of the breed.

Exterior:

• height of the stallion - 1.62 m, mare - 1.6 m;
• color - any color, except black (the offspring of black color are not included in the stud books);
• weight - 0.7–1 ton.

The horse is characterized by a wide muzzle and a convex profile. She has a compact body with a wide back, powerful legs and shaggy friezes. Belongs to long-haired breeds.

IN modern France this breed is considered a meat breed and is raised for meat due to its large muscle mass. In addition, they are used in equestrian sports, including therapeutic riding.
Belgian Brabançons come from the region of the same name in Belgium. This is one of the largest and most massive breeds. It includes the current record holders in the list of the tallest (Brooklyn Supreme) and heaviest (Big Jack) horses.

Today this breed is the most numerous among heavy draft horses in the United States with a wide range of uses:

• draft horses;
• horses for various shows;
• meat breed.

Exterior of the Brabançons:

• height of the stallion - 1.68 m, mare - 1.64 m;
• color - red, bay;
• weight - 0.8–0.9 tons.

Important!Light colored horses with pink skin may receive sunburn from exposure to the sun.

English Shire

British Shires are considered the tallest breed of horse. With an average height of 1.85 m, they can reach 2.19 m at the withers. Shires are the “most English” breed. It was developed by crossing local horses with Dutch ones.
These horses were extremely popular throughout English history. They carried ale to pubs and were used in agriculture and for riding, were exported. Even now, some old English breweries use Shires as business card and a tribute to tradition.

Shires are characterized by:

• the height of the stallion is 1.85 m, the mare is 1.65 m;
• color - it can be black or bay;
• the presence of “white socks” on the feet, characteristic of the Shires;
• weighing 1–1.5 tons.

The horse's head is wide and thin with big eyes. The beautifully curved neck is decorated with a silky, straight, short mane. The Shires' leg friezes are also very lush and beautiful.

Percherons

Percherons come from the region of the same name in France - Perche. These are horses known for their high intelligence and willingness to work. Characterized by high endurance.

Used for mail transportation, forestry work, and cargo delivery. Now they are also used to participate in various sports shows, parades, attractions, and agricultural advertising.
Currently presented in three categories: large, medium, small. Percherons are a mixture of local heavy horses with Arabian horses.

Medium Percherons are characterized by:

• the height of the stallion is 1.75 m, the mare is 1.65 m;
• color - gray, sometimes black;
• weighing - 0.8–1 t;
• fluffy tail and mane;
• lack of brushes on the legs.

The Percheron is the most famous and widespread French breed. Every July in France there is a national show of this breed.

Did you know?Horse teeth are unique because they grow all the time. And their volume in the skull is greater than the volume of the brain.

Domestic breeds of heavy trucks

Among domestic draft horses, first of all it is worth mentioning the Soviet draft horses. The breed was developed on the basis of Brabançons and local horses. The standard for Soviet heavy trucks was approved relatively recently - in 1952.
Exterior:

• height of the stallion - 1.5 m, mare - 1.4 m;
• color - red, red-roan, brown, bay;
• weight - 0.7–0.8 t;
• the tail and mane are fluffy.

The breed is characterized by a wide chest, wide croup, and short legs. Soviet heavy draft vehicles are considered the largest and most durable heavy trucks. Work on the Vladimir breed began in the 19th century.

Now these are horses that are characterized by:

• height of the stallion - 1.62 m, mare - 1.6 m;
• color - red, bay, black, gray, maybe with white markings on the forehead and legs;
• weight - 0.7 t.

The breed is distinguished by its endurance. In addition to its direct purpose, it is used in meat and dairy farming. A representative of the Vladimir breed, Ryabina, holds the milk record among horses.

Other heavy breeds in the territory former USSR are:

The largest representatives of the horse tribe in the world

Among the many heavy draft horses, of course, there are record-breaking horses. With an average height of 1.6 m for heavy horses and a weight of 0.9 tons, these horses are much taller and more massive. Among them are the largest and tallest stallions with world fame, whose records are documented.

Important!An injured draft horse's hoof takes about 9-12 months to heal, so foot care is especially important for them.

Great Samson

The British Shire is rightfully considered the largest breed of horse. The Shire stallion holds the title of the largest heavy draft horse. His name was Samson. He lived in Bedfordshire in the 19th century.
Data on the horse's weight and height were documented in 1846. At the time the record was recorded, the stallion was 1.5 years old. Due to his height (2.19 m) and weight (1.524 tons), Samson is considered the largest horse on record.

Giant Digger and Brooklyn Supreme

The contender of the last century (from 1928 to 1948) for the role of the heaviest, but not the tallest horse was a stallion from Minnesota - the Belgian heavy truck Brooklyn Supreme. Brooklyn's height is 198 cm, and his weight is almost 1.5 tons (1451 kg).

The stallion was the best representative breed at numerous fairs at which it was presented to the general public. The next stallion on the list of heavyweight record holders is the Scottish Clydesdale Digger.

In 2007, his owner contacted the Welfare Equine Rehabilitation Center because his 4-year-old stallion, Digger, had joint problems due to heavy weight. With a height of 191 cm and a weight of 1.2 tons, he still continued to grow.
Everyone liked the magnificent horse and after a rehabilitation program he was accepted into a two-year training program in the Royal Horse Regiment. But in 2012 it became obvious that life in London was not very suitable for the stallion, and Digger returned to the Scottish Highlands.

Big Jake

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest horse in the world is the Belgian gelding Big Jack. The record was recorded on September 13, 2012. The 11-year-old horse belongs to Jerry Gilbert of Smokey Hollow Farm (Ostego, Michigan, USA). Big Jack's height is 2.102 m, and his weight is 1.1793 tons.
As in any sport, the title of biggest or tallest cannot remain with one horse forever. Thanks to horse breeders, the list of giant horses is regularly updated with new names. And, perhaps, soon new record holders will appear in the world of horses, which we will definitely hear about.

There is a world a large number of amazing things that amaze the human imagination. Nature hides its mysteries everywhere; in any corner of the planet it will always find something to surprise. If we turn to the topic of animal husbandry, in particular horse breeding, in a number of various issues the next one arises: what is the biggest horse in the world?

The most impressive horses on the planet

Is there such a thing as the biggest horse in the world? Certainly! This is the stallion Sampson, a representative of the Shire breed, whose height at the withers was two meters and twenty centimeters and his weight was 1,520 kilograms. Existing in the nineteenth century, this English gelding, due to its huge size at the age of four he was renamed Mammoth.

Do such impressive giants exist today, and what is the largest horse in the modern world? Nobody has yet caught up with Sampson in height, but in weight he has been surpassed by Big Jack, a gelding of Belgian origin. With an impressive height of two meters seventeen centimeters, he weighs 2600 kilograms.

The English stallion Digger weighs 1200 kilograms and is two meters two centimeters tall. His daily diet consists of 75 liters of water and 25 kilograms of hay. And this is assuming that he is only five years old.

Another Englishman, nicknamed Duke, is overtaking his rivals in height - two hundred and one centimeters.

Po is the nickname of a horse no less impressive in size, named after famous writer Edgar Poe. The total height is three meters with a weight of 1360 kilograms. Such a giant consumes two bales of hay, five kilograms of grain and 70 liters of water per day.

Draft horses are the largest breed of horses

The largest breed of horse in the world is the draft horse. The most common are shires (which include Sampson, a giant stallion); Percherons and Brabançons are also known. Massive and strong, they have long been bred to move heavy loads. Take, for example, a knight, fully dressed in armor and equipped with full weapons. Not every horse can handle this. By the way, the horses that were intended for knights were called “destrie”. With a height of two meters, they weighed about a ton. Heavy trucks are designed for work in agriculture; in England they often appear in parades, where they festively and imposingly pull advertising vans of breweries.

Shire - English heavy truck

Shire draft horses (English draft horses) were bred in Central England and are descendants of the huge horses on which medieval knights rode on their campaigns.

IN three years old they are capable of moving loads up to five times their own weight. Very strong and large, Shires weigh about a ton with a height that varies from 1.70 to 1.90 meters at the withers. The breed is characterized by extreme slowness. Such horses are very popular because they compete with modern tractors and trucks. They are also often used to participate in shows and European horse shows. The modern Shire, characterized by its outstanding size, the largest horse in the world, is the 16-year-old stallion Cracker, a resident of Lincolnshire in England. Its height at the withers is slightly more than 198 centimeters, and its weight is 1200 kg.

Brabançon - Belgian representative

Belgian heavy trucks - Brabançons - are extremely popular in America, weighing from 700 kg to a ton with a height of almost a meter. These are some of the most powerful “living tractors”. The Ardennes are also a very large breed (representatives of the Ardennes mountainous regions located on the border of France and Belgium), were used French army Napoleon and during the First World War.

The most graceful and beautiful among the heavy trucks are the Percherons - French heavyweights. The breed contains a considerable amount of Arabian blood, which has been instilled in them for quite a long time. Such horses became very popular and were used both for military purposes and for agricultural work. The famous representative of his breed was the stallion Jean de Blanc, who amazed the inhabitants of the 19th century with his size.

The largest horse in the world (1928-1948), about which reliable data has been preserved, is Brookie, a Belgian Percheron. Its height at the withers reached 198 centimeters, and its weight was 1.5 tons.

The Russian draft horse is the most impressive breed in Russia

The Russian representative of the heavy-duty breed is the Russian heavy-duty breed, the formation of which began in the century before last. It was the result of crossing Belgian Ardennes and draft horses. With a height of 1.5 meters, he has incredible strength. In 1900, one of the representatives of the Russian Ardennes - the largest horse in the world named Karavai - took part in the Paris exhibition, where he won the highest award. The Russian Heavy Truck breed was officially registered in 1952.

Even in ancient times, people learned to control horses, and since then these stunningly beautiful and graceful animals have been used in various areas life. They have strength and power that can surprise the most inveterate 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 he immediately attracted the attention of the public - his size amazed and delighted. Now he weighs more than a ton, and his height at the withers almost reaches the two-meter mark; if we take the tips of his ears as the starting point of measurement, it will be 2.5 meters. To saddle the giant, the owner has to use a stepladder.

Cracker belongs to the Shire gelding breed. They themselves are large, heavy and very strong - it’s not for nothing that they are considered heavy trucks. Their tasks included a special mission - their riders were knights dressed in heavy armor. They coped well with the mission of a war horse. All representatives of this breed are tall, usually 170-185 cm at the withers and have 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 just below the text.

The largest horse in the world has a good-natured, calm disposition. His entire appearance exudes majesty - the horse clearly knows his worth. Not everyone will decide to ride it - the tall and large Shire evokes admiration and awe.

Cracker has an excellent appetite - he needs 90 liters of liquid and 25 kg of hay per day.

Shires

About 400 years ago, the Shires lived only in England, Ireland, and Holland. Now they are bred all over the world. The appearance of horses of this breed is characterized by “white stockings” on the hind legs and a slight bald spot on the head. In general, the structure of the horse is proportional. The croup is muscular, the back is wide, the sacrum and chest are excellently developed, the head is large and the forehead is wide. Most often there are handsome black, bay and karak breeds, less often - gray.

The disadvantage is the impossibility of high jumps. It is incredibly difficult for the Shires to cross marshy areas and streams. But the work of breeders can reduce this drawback to nothing. Distinctive feature giant horses are legs - on the joints of which there is lush hair - “Frieza”. Perhaps it was the shires who became the prototype of the famous sivka-burka - they are too good, handsome!

Samson

He has been dead for a long time, but no one has managed to surpass him. The hero was born in 1846 in England. The height at the withers reached 2.2 m, and the weight was 1520 kg.

French Percherons have also become widespread - these powerful giants can be found on any continent. Their strength and courage were loved by many, and they became indispensable in agriculture and on the battlefield. Now Percherons, with their wide, deep chests, muscular thighs and powerful legs, are used to improve other breeds. In general, the breed has a lot of blood from Arabian horses - they were vaccinated for a long time. This heavy, large horse, whose movements are light and graceful, is extremely durable. Such a horse is capable of trotting about sixty kilometers in a day.

Typically, the height of Percherons varies within one hundred and sixty centimeters, the color is white or black. Representatives of this breed are distinguished big head with a high noble forehead, soft long ears, lively sparkling eyes, an even profile. The largest horse among them was a racer named dr. Le Gear. He was born at the very beginning of the twentieth century, weighed one thousand three hundred and seventy kilograms, and his height at the withers was two hundred and thirteen centimeters.

Large breeds of horses include massive and strong draft horses. The most common are shires, Brabançons and Percherons have long been known, younger breeds were bred in Russia.

Large horse breeds

Back in the distant Middle Ages, there was a need to move very heavy loads. What was a knight “worth”? fully armed and armor? Not every horse could carry such a heavy rider. The knights' horses were called "destrie". Their weight reached up to a ton and their height was about two meters.

Medieval war horses are the progenitors of such modern heavy horses as the French Percherons, powerful English Shires and the widespread Belgian Brabançons. Today, heavy trucks are used in agriculture. They help in transporting goods and plowing land. In England they can be seen at parades, where they ceremoniously pull brewery promotional vans.

Belgian Draft and Arden

Brabançon is one of the most powerful “living tractors” in the world. Their weight ranges from seven hundred kilograms to a ton. The average height is about one meter and seventy centimeters. These horses grow and develop quickly. Belgian draft horses are extremely popular in North America.

Arden - very ancient breed. Height usually does not exceed one meter and sixty centimeters. Representatives of the breed come from the mountainous regions of the Ardennes (border between Belgium and France). To improve the breeds, an influx of Brabançon blood was introduced in the nineteenth century. It is known that the Ardennes were used by Napoleon's troops in the First World War.

Shire

Heavy draft horses of the Shire breed are widespread in Great Britain. They were developed in Central England. These are extremely slow, but powerful horses, whose weight often reaches a ton, and their height varies from one meter seventy centimeters to one meter ninety centimeters at the withers.

Nothing is known for certain about the appearance of the breed, except that these horses are definitely descendants of the “big horses” that were used for trekking medieval knights. Already aged three years they are capable of pulling loads that are five times their weight. Despite the fact that tractors and trucks have now replaced heavy trucks, shires are still popular. Representatives of the breed can often be seen at shows and horse shows in Europe.

Percheron

There is a large breed of horses in France. We are talking about Percherons. Representatives of this old breed are recognized as the most graceful in comparison with other heavy trucks. The first famous Percheron was the stallion Jean de Blanc. He was born in 1830. His sire was the Arabian stallion Gallipolo.

There is a lot of Arabian blood in this breed, as it has been grafted for a long time. The resulting horse became popular and was used for both military purposes and agricultural work. Breeding work was carried out with Percherons in several countries.

Height modern representative This breed is no more than one hundred and seventy-two centimeters, but on average the height at the withers is about one hundred and sixty-two centimeters.

Heavy Russian horse breeds

Since the end of the century before last, the Russian draft breed began to take shape. Thanks to the crossing of Belgian Ardennes with draft horses, “Russian heavy trucks” appeared. Already in 1900, the Russian Arden appeared at an exhibition in Paris. One of the representatives of the Khrenovsky stud farm, nicknamed Karavay, received the highest award at this exhibition. The new breed “Russian Heavy Truck” was officially registered only in 1952. Average height Such a heavy truck is about one and a half meters, however, it is distinguished by incredible strength.

Another Russian breed of heavy trucks is the “Soviet heavy truck.” It was obtained by crossing Brabançon stallions imported from Belgium with draft horses of different origins (crosses of Bityugi, Percherons and Ardennes). The resulting breed differed from Brabançons in that it was much drier, more agile and smaller. The height of the representative of the “Soviet heavy truck” is up to one hundred and seventy centimeters, and the weight does not exceed a thousand kilograms.

The Vladimir heavy truck was also bred in Russia. He was obtained by crossing representatives of English Shires and Scottish Clydesdales with his local horses. With a height of one hundred and sixty-five centimeters, the weight is on average seven hundred and sixty kilograms.

The largest horse in the world The record holder among all the horses known in the world is considered to be a heavy draft horse of the Shire breed, which was born in 1846 in England. His name is Sampson. At the age of four they began to call him “Mammoth.” The champion's height reached two meters and twenty centimeters; he weighed one thousand five hundred and twenty kilograms. Unfortunately, there is not a single photograph of this giant.

There were also record holders among the Brabançon breed, although this stallion did not surpass Sampson in height. His name is Brooklyn the Tallest. The height of this stallion reached one hundred and ninety-five centimeters and weighed one thousand four hundred and fifty kilograms. The record holder of the Percheron breed is the stallion Morocco. His weight is one ton, two hundred and eighty-five kilograms, and his height is two meters and fifteen centimeters.

The modern record horse is a heavy draft horse of the Shire breed, living in England in the county of Lincolnshire. The stallion is sixteen years old. His nickname is Cracker. The stallion's head is above the ground at a height of more than two meters, the height at the withers is a little more than one hundred and ninety-eight centimeters. Cracker's weight is one ton two hundred kilograms.

Meanwhile, another breed - the Przewalski horse is considered one of the most rare species on the ground. .
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Horses have long been valued for strength and endurance. Modern heavy trucks - descendants of war horses - amaze with their parameters. We found out where the largest horse in the world lives, and also remembered the history of the appearance of large horses.

Breeds and history of heavy trucks

The largest horses in the world come from several draft breeds. We have arranged them in ascending order: from Ardens, which are considered small drays, to giant Percherons.

The Ardennes boast hardiness and a rich pedigree. It is believed that these horses trace their history back to the prehistoric Solutre breed, which lived in Europe about 50 thousand years ago. The Romans later used the species during wars for heavy cavalry. Julius Caesar noted the strength and tirelessness of horses. Horses were bred on the plains of the Ardennes Mountains (territory of Germany, Belgium and France). The height of the stallions reached just over 1.4 m. New round The development of the breed also occurred due to the war: under Napoleon, Ardennes were crossed with Arabian horses, increasing their endurance. Nowadays, these horses are classified as small draft horses. More major representatives the Balts are breeding.

The Ardennes served as the basis for the development of Russian heavy trucks. The latter were also crossed with Brabançons to achieve greater strength. Initially, the new breed was adapted for agricultural needs, so scientists were not tasked with increasing the size of the animal. Dryness and good mobility were valued. In 1900, at the Paris exhibition, the breed became known as the Russian Ardennes. After October revolution Some stud farms were transferred to the Urals. Then measures were taken to enlarge the horses; for this they used Brabançons, achieving a height at the withers of up to 1.5 m.

Next on our list are horses that were also used by the military - Shires. They are the largest English heavy trucks. The original name of their ancestors Great Horse was later changed to English Black. It is believed that Cromwell gave the horses their second name. The Shires were bred by crossing Friesian and Flandish stallions with local mares. For some time, these hardy horses were considered exclusively for the army. At the withers, stallions reach from 1.65 to 1.75 meters. Shires have the ability to move loads up to five times their own weight.

Brabançons are one of the most ancient breeds of heavy draft horses in Europe. In the Middle Ages it was known as the "Flanders Horse". Brabançons were crossed with Shires. Belgian horses at the age of five can boast a weight of 1000 kg and a height of 1.7 m at the withers.

Another giant among horses is the Percheron, which is called the most elegant and graceful among heavy draft horses. This happened because in the veins of this French breed there is an admixture of Arabian horses. They were bred at the beginning of the 19th century in a province called Perche. Breeders used Breton and Boulogne horses. This is the largest and hardiest horse breed in the world: adults reach 1.75 m at the withers.

Record horses

Years of selection led to the appearance of giants among the heavy trucks in the 20th and 21st centuries. Their names are often known not only to horse breeders.

Samson

Shires can boast absolute record in growth. This breed belongs to the tallest and largest horse known in the world of horse breeding. A foal named Samson was born in 1846 in the English county of Bedfordshire. It belonged to Mr. Thomas Cleaver. The stallion's height peaked at the age of four, when he weighed 1520 kg, his height at the withers reached 2.2 m. At the same time he was renamed Mammoth. At that time, the Guinness Book of Records did not yet exist, so the achievement was not documented. We can see what the largest horse in the world looked like thanks to a photo that has survived to this day.

Digger and Brooklyn Supreme

Samson's record could be broken by another Shire named Digger. At the age of five, his weight was 1200 kilograms and his height was 2.02 m. The bay-roan Belgian Brooklyn Supreme is also considered a giant. By the age of 10, he gained 1451 kilograms of weight, and his height was 1.98 m. The dimensions can be judged by the fact that this stallion needed horseshoes of 13 kg, despite the fact that a standard horseshoe weighs from 200 to 700 g.

Big Jake

In 2010, the title of the main giant passed to the Belgian gelding Big Jake. The Guinness World Record holder reached 2.17 m at the withers, and his weight was 2600 kg. Big Jake was only a few centimeters behind the great Samson. The owner of Brabançon created a show program to demonstrate his outstanding pet, but thanks to the photo, we can also see the largest horse in the world.