According to the Guinness world records, the biggest horse in the world that ever lived was a shire horse named Sampson, born in Bedfordshire, England in 1846. He was a shire horse that reached a peak height of 21.5hh (219cm) across his wither. Sampson was later renamed 'Mammoth the horse' due to his massive size. But he is mostly famous and known as 'Sampson' in the guinness book of world records.
Photo: World record Holder
Imagine being the farrier for the horse Sampson, you would need at least 2 people picking his feet up, and shoes would have need to be custom made!
Photo: biggest shire horse
Sampson Horse Height: 21.5hh / 219cm / 7ft 2in
Sampson Horse Weight: 3,360 lbs / 1524kg
The average height for women in United States is 5ft 4inches, with a standing reach of 7 feet 1.4 inches. This means that if an average height woman would have tried to reach Sampson's wither, she would have just touched it with the tip of her finger when standing on her toes. You may need a ladder to get on top of this horse!
Sampson was gelded when he was 1 years old, this might have helped his growth spurt as geldings scientifically grow taller as the growth plates in their legs remain open for longer after they are castrated.
The Tallest Horse in the world 2022
Photo: Smoke Hollow Farm owner Jerry Gilbert
The world’s tallest living horse 2022 is not officially known as the guinness book of world records have not updated their records since the last record holder "Big Jake' died in June 2021. The passing of big Jake shook the world as he has become famous worldwide as world's tallest horse.
Photo: Smoke Hollow Farm Belgian horses
Big Jake was a Belgian draft chestnut horse and he measured 20.2hh (205cm) at the withers, and weighed around 2500 pounds.
Biggest Horse Breeds
Draft horses are known as gentle giants due to their large size and gentle nature. Big horses continue to intrigue horse enthusiasts all over the world. The world’s largest horse breeds include belgian draft horse, clydesdale horses, suffolk punch horses, American cream draft, dutch draft horse, percheron horse and Russian heavy draft.
Photo: Percheron gelding
Draft breeds were originally used for agricultural work as they are the strongest horse breeds and can pull heavy loads. They have the stamina for heavy farm work and strength for pulling heavy equipment. They may not be used as a farm horse in modern times, however they still remain popular for carriage driving or as a family horse in North America. We hope you enjoyed reading about the largest breeds of horses in the world today.
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