This blog post was written by: HolyCow

Amazing horse records
Horses hold a large space in our heart. Because of the big part they play in our lives, we’ve highlighted a few sizable achievements!

1. The tallest horse ever was 2,19 metres
Goliath, born as Sampson in 1846, is said to have weighed more than 1,500kgs. He was a Shire, a breed considered the largest horse breed. Of course, Goliath is no longer alive, but luckily there have been plenty of other big horses!

For instance, American Belgian draft horse Big Jake, until his death in 2021, at 2.10m, was an impressive giant to behold. After Big Jake's death, the Guinness Book of Records has not named a new title holder of ‘’Tallest living horse‘’, and it is unknown which horse is really the biggest. However, some horses do come close to Big Jake's height at the withers, such as the Shire horse Phantom, who is only 2 to 3cm smaller.

2. Highest odds, and still won!
The highest odds with which a horse has managed to win the well-known, infamous, and prestigious steeplechase competition ‘The Grand National’, was 100/1. Higher odds means a horse had a lower chance of winning. In other words, these are the real underdogs! This result has been achieved by several horses: Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947), Foinavon (1967) and Mon Mome (2009).

3. Rocking around…
Obviously, everyone has their own hobbies. Gao Ming's is making rocking horses. Measuring 12,727m x 4,532m x 8,203m, he has made the largest rocking horse in the world!

4. Going to great heights
That's what Huaso ex-Faithful did when he jumped over a 2.47m obstacle in 1949.This is the  highest recorded jump made by a horse. However, it remains to be seen whether this record will ever be broken. After all, such high jumps also involve risks.

For Miniature Horses, every obstacle is relatively a lot higher. No problem for Zephyr Woods Storming Treasure, who jumped over a 1.17m fence a few years back. 

Another factor that can make jumping a lot trickier is when a rider has both legs on one side. Yet Susan Oakes managed to sit out a jump of 2.03m on her stallion Seic Atlas, while in a sidesaddle seat! 

To jump, it is helpful if you can somewhat see the height of an obstacle. That this is not always necessary proved Endo the Blind. Endo no longer has eyes due to a medical condition, but still managed to get over a 1.06m hurdle!

No horse to set a jumping world record? That didn't stop Marie Kärkkäinen. She decided to just set a record by herself. With a jump of 1.41m, she got the ‘Highest jump in the Hobbyhorse World Championship’ to her name. 

5. Maybe she’s born with it… Maybe it’s neighbelline!
The longest horsetail was on an American Paint mare named JJS Summer Breeze. With a tail length of 3.81m, you do spend some time brushing and braiding....

For a miniature horse, of course, such a long tail is not necessary. 1.81m suffices for Sweetie, the miniature horse with the longest tail.