Big Jake
BreedBelgian
SexGelding
FoaledMarch 2001
Nebraska
DiedJune 2021 (aged 20)
Smokey Hollow Farm
Poynette, Wisconsin
CountryUnited States
ColorRed
OwnerJerry Gilbert
Honors
Guinness World Records: Tallest horse living

Big Jake (March 2001 – June 2021) was a red flaxen Belgian gelding horse noted for his extreme height.[1][2] He stood at 20.2 3⁄4 hands (82.75 inches, 210 cm) tall[upper-alpha 1] and weighed 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg).[3]

According to the Guinness World Records, Big Jake broke the record for the world's tallest living horse when he was measured in 2010, and he held that record for the remainder of his life.[4] After Sampson at 21.25 hands (86.5 inches, 220 cm) (foaled 1846, in Toddington Mills, Bedfordshire, England), he is the second-tallest horse on record.[1]

Big Jake was born in 2001 in the U.S. state of Nebraska, weighing approximately 240 pounds (110 kg), which is about 100 pounds (45 kg) heavier than is typical for his breed.[5][6] His parents were normal-sized, and he was tall as a foal, but not exceptionally so.[4] Big Jake was purchased by a relative of his eventual owner Jerry Gilbert, who took ownership when it became apparent that the horse would become very large and require special accommodation.[7] Gilbert kept Big Jake at Smokey Hollow Farm, near Poynette, Wisconsin,[8][9][6] feeding him two to three buckets of grain and a whole bale of hay daily.[4][5] His stall was almost twice the size of that for a regular horse and he was transported in semi-trailers due to his size.[1] Big Jake competed in draft horse showing competitions before retiring in 2013,[4] and made regular appearances at the Wisconsin State Fair.[10] Visitors to the farm were offered barn tours, which included meeting Big Jake.[1]

Big Jake's death was announced by Smokey Hollow Farm on June 27, 2021, with Gilbert's wife stating that the death had taken place approximately two weeks prior but declining to give the media an exact date.[11] Jerry Gilbert hailed Big Jake as a "gentle giant", and stated that he intended to keep his stall empty as a memorial.[12][7]

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ Note that horse heights are measured at the withers rather than the head

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "World's Tallest Horse Big Jake Stands 20 Hands 2 3/4 Inches/6'10)". Horsey Hooves. October 3, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ G, Kashmira; EDT, er On 7/6/21 at 8:01 AM (July 6, 2021). "Owners of Big Jake, the world's tallest horse, pay tribute after he dies aged 20". Newsweek. Retrieved July 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Meet Big Jake – the World's Tallest Horse". EQUINE Ink. June 6, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "On this day in 2010: Big Jake, the world's tallest horse, is measured". Guinness World Records. January 19, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Britton, Bianca (May 23, 2018). "The tallest and smallest horse in the world". CNN. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "World's tallest horse Big Jake dies in Wisconsin at age 20". The Independent. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Elliott, Tim. "Wisconsin family mourns the loss of 'Big Jake'—the world's tallest horse". KCBD. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  8. ↑ Glenday, Craig (April 30, 2013). Guinness World Records 2013. Bantam Books. pp. 89. ISBN 978-0-345-54711-8.
  9. ↑ "Meet Big Jake, world's tallest horse". TODAY. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ "RIP Big Jake: World's tallest horse dies at age 20, tributes pour in". Times Now. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ "World's tallest horse dies on Town of Dekorra family's farm". Lodi Enterprise. July 12, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Big Jake, the world's tallest horse, dies in Wisconsin". The Guardian. London. Associated Press. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
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