World's tallest horse visits Missoula today

The Missoulian ^ | May 8, 2005 | VINCE DEVLIN

[Stoat]

World's tallest horse visits Missoula today
By VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian

Goliath, a Percheron draft horse, who was born in Canada, stands 6 feet, 5 inches from his hoofs to the top of his withers. Photo by KURT WILSON/Missoulian

You wouldn't need a crane to mount Goliath, the world's tallest living horse.

Then again, it wouldn't hurt.

Leslie Fish, a Hawthorne fifth-grader, has ridden Goliath before, and it took two people to boost her onto the horse's back.

 

 

Goliath is a 14-year-old Percheron draft horse who stands 19.1 hands tall. That's three to five hands taller than your typical horse and a hand or two higher than the average Percheron.

In all, Goliath stands 6-foot-5 from hoof to withers. He weighs 2,500 pounds, or 1 1/4 tons.

That's about double the average horse, and 500 pounds more than most Percherons.

"We weren't sure he'd fit," said Sheila Lowden of Missoula's Professional Farm Quarterhorses, where Goliath spent Friday night in a stall.

Goliath is so tall it's hard for him to graze - his neck just isn't long enough to get his mouth to grass. The horse has to stretch his front legs apart, like a foal, in order to reach the ground.

He goes through 18 pounds of Pilgrim's Pride Grain, 40 pounds of Coastal Bermuda hay and 20 gallons of water a day.

Owned by Priefert Ranch Equipment of Mount Pleasant, Texas, Goliath's claim to the title of world's tallest living horse is backed by the Guinness World Records, which in 2003 declared him such.

He replaced the previous listee by half an inch, according to Charles Woods.

Woods and his wife Guilda ferry Goliath around the country for promotional appearances at stores that sell Priefert products.

Born in Canada, Goliath was a wheel horse in a six-team hitch in Colorado when Bill Priefert purchased the team.

The team - named Texas Thunder by Priefert - still works promotional events, too. Indeed, Goliath was still a part of the team when it appeared at the Western Montana Fair in Missoula two years ago.

That's when Leslie Fish - whose father, Dave, is the saddlemaker at Quality Supply, where Goliath will be on display Saturday - got to ride him.

But after Goliath was certified as the world's tallest horse, he was broken off into his own one-horse show (although Goliath, as he will Sunday in Hamilton, occasionally reunites with his old teammates on the road).

Goliath makes 100 to 150 promotional appearances and travels 40,000 miles in his custom-built horse trailer every year.

When they're not on the road, Goliath and Texas Thunder live at Bill Priefert's ranch outside Mount Pleasant.

Reporter Vince Devlin can be reached at 523-5260 or at vdevlin@missoulian.com

 

 

See for yourself

You can see Goliath Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Quality Supply, 2081 W. Broadway in Missoula; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Quality Supply, 1189 First St. S. in Hamilton; or Tuesday at Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply, 2330 Highway 93 S. in Kalispell from noon to 6:30 p.m.

Texas Thunder, a six-team hitch, is also appearing at the Hamilton store from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

[A CA Guy]

Janet Reno Ping!

[SoDak]

I'd like to get a Percheron for saddle riding.

[tertiary01]

Don't you impugn Mr Ed!!

He was a full brother to "Anniversary", one of the World Champion and Record Holding American Quarter Horses from the fifties, also a palomino, but a mare.

[Stoat]

Janet Reno Ping!

ROTFLMAO!  I have a concern that associating J.R. with such a fine animal, although plausible from an aesthetic standpoint, ultimately may be insulting not only to the animal but also to those in this thread who are fond of horses  :-)

[Baraonda]

Majestic animal.

[tertiary01]

I meant World Record Holder Running Horse from the fifties.

[dasboot]

Majestic, smart, nerves of steel, calm, affectionate...my favorite!

Once in a while the Perch pair from the farm up the street would bust out of their place and come for a visit. The owner was sort of stingy on feed and grooming, so the fellas would come to graze where my horses weren't allowed, and get all purdied up by my daughters...braids, brushing, picking. Still don't know how they managed to unhook the barn door..time after time. The girls were awful small, but those huge horses were supremely gentle with them. I barebacked one, and the ride was terrific. Their regular duty was pulling a hay cutter.

Once, one of the big guys wandered to the corral fence where my Arab was blustering...doing his best impersonation of Black Stallion....to intimidate the Percheron away. HA! The Perch, without missing a mouthful of grass, nonchalant delivered a loving back-kick to the Arab's chest, through the rails. Arab was stunned, knees buckled a bit, then he went to the far side of the corral...a safe 80' away, and resumed the bluster. Percheron coulda killed him...but didn't...just sent a kind message. (I really loathed that Arab....I love Percherons...just couldn't afford to feed 'em)

Boring horsie story. Haven't thought about them for years, until now.

[Americanchild]

I even know about the horse's udder.

LOL! Leave that horse alone!

Speaking of horse parts ( were we doing that?), there is a necessary "maintainance" that one must do if one owns a stud or a gelding. It involves having the animal "drop" the penis ( most can be trained to do so) so you can clean the gunk that collects in the sheath. It's amazing how much of your hand and arm can fit up there---on just a pony!

Sorry fellas, you can go back to normal conversation now!

[Stoat]

I'd like to get a Percheron for saddle riding.

Here's a riding accessory that you may find useful  :-)

[Stoat]

Boring horsie story. Haven't thought about them for years, until now.
 

Not boring at all!  Those of us who have been, unfortunately, trapped in cities much, most or all of our lives oftentimes find ourselves yearning for such 'boring' life experiences.  To me, such a story is far more interesting than hearing about the most recent crackhead who overdosed on the other side of town.  Stories such as yours are what SHOULD be filling our days, not so much of the ugliness that passes for 'news' and 'life' these days.

Thank you  :-)

[Fester Chugabrew]

Wait for it...

I suspect you anticipate a reference to Senator John Kerry's face?

[A CA Guy]

LOL, very good. Thanks.

[Pajamajan]

Draft horses- the SUV of the horse world.

What a beautiful animal. I love Draft horses. They have such great temperaments-very gentle.

Thanks for posting this.

[Stoat]

Thanks for posting this.

You're quite welcome  :-)

I don't mind an occasional break from politics, and I'm glad that you feel the same way.

[Pajamajan]

"such a story is far more intersting than hearing about the most recent crackhead who overdosed on the other side of town. Stories such as yours are what SHOULD be filling our days"

Amen to that.

[endthematrix]

America's farming and pioneer heritage is kept alive with draft horse enthusiasts. My wife and I volunteered at our local living history museum, "Blackberry Farm’s Pioneer Village" in Aurora, IL. I was a blacksmith and my wife worked in the spinning and pioneer cabins. While there I learned that there are many citizens keeping our nations great history alive. Even exporting it to countries in Africa and South America, where even today their agriculture and factory production can't compete with America in the 1800's! So they train members of their society in blacksmithing and draft animals, hoping that they can lift their economies. Not with money from the World Bank, but from their own hand. A hand up, not a hand out, so to speak.

[nathanbedford]

An awesome sight no doubt.

The problem, as in all warfare, is mostly one of supply and logistics. The first problem which must be solved is how do you accumulate enough surplus grain and hay to see the animal through the winter? This was a time when most stock was slaughtered in the fall because it simply could not be fed through the winter. All grain and hay after all had to be planted, weeded, cut, raked, stacked, transported and stored away from the weather and all must be done by hand or by animal power. The humans who did this toil must themselves be fed through the winter as well as the animals who worked with them. So, in essence your agricultural base had to be able to create a surplus.

What you do with this surplus then becomes a social-economic-political question. Do you use the surplus to maintain a war horse (which probably had limited utility as a domestic work animal), assign it to a Knight to defend your valley or do you increase your standard of living?

Life was nasty, brutish and short precisely because there was no surplus. Is it better to train an archer to shoot the horse? Or a lancer to cut a tendon? How many horses can you field as compared to enemy of infantry? Which is relatively cheaper to field and prevail, horsemen or infantry?

If you take the drive from München to Innsbruck, you will journey along the lovely but narrow valley of the Inn river and along the way you will see at stages isolated castles in various stages of repair. One can imagine these as medieval toll booths exacting tribute from all traffic between Germany and Italy. The toll collector was the mounted knight sallying forth from the castle to collect his dues.

But I cannot imagine the local lords being able to afford very many warhorses.

[hosepipe]

2.5 horse power...

[Stoat]

What a great thing for you and your wife to do! Thanks very much for the great post and thank you for your volunteer work....it sounds like a wonderful project and I wish you great success.