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.

[MitchellC]

Bahaha! :)

[hosepipe]

[ Next time a tyrant threatens the Western World the Candians can say "Hey, look out eh? We have the world's tallest horse!" ]

Does the Canadian "armed" forces use these horses to pull their TANKS.?..

[endthematrix]

"The problem, as in all warfare, is mostly one of supply and logistics. "

So true, in warefare. In battle, a Knight - rather than thinking about grain, would have worried more of the halberd, arrow and pike.

[nathanbedford]

Halberd:

A pike fitted with an axe head.

Well, in battle that would certainly get my attention. Thanks for the new word.

[JohnBovenmyer]

There's neigh chance MISTER Ed was the night-mare of the Kerry family tree. He might have taken her out as a cheap date; as the tail went he was quite a swinger. But he had way too much horse sense to mare-y into THAT family.

[SoDak]

For that one maybe, but I'm quite large myself, and I could get into the saddle on a slightly smaller version.

[mouser]

For anyone interested in draft things this is one of the best links i have found.

http://www.ruralheritage.com/

[Pajamajan]

That is a great site. Thanks.

[endthematrix]

Here is a link to the orginization I posted about earlier in the thread.

Tillers International
http://www.wmich.edu/tillers/home/


"Sharing our rural heritage with the world for a more peaceful earth."

[Inge_CAV]

Yep, and they have appetites to match their size.

And mine are nowhere near the size of this one.........

[tuffydoodle]

Thanks, Cindy! I would have missed this if you hadn't of pinged me.

You could walk under that horse without bending over.

[AnAmericanMother]

Imagine in the Middle Ages being an infantryman and seeing line of knights mounted on Percheron war horses, cresting the top of a hill about to charge against you...

That's what the French thought at Agincourt.

Turned out they were wrong.

[Junior]

Bookmark.

[AnAmericanMother]

See message 72.

Their day indeed is done.

(Except of course for mounted infantry. Used with great success in southern Africa, IIRC.)

[Mustng959]

My Dad was a horse breeder also, Tennessee Walking horses. And why was the author of the article measuring in feet/inches? I had to convert it to "hands" to get an image in my mind. Wow! 19-1 hands, what a horse!

[freedumb2003]

Holey Moley!

That is a HUGE horse

[wildehunt]

Goliath was at the Equine affaire, a trade show in Colombus Ohio last month. He was in the area devoted to youth riders.

His quiet dignity is remarkable.
He is one BIG horse..

[cajun-jack]

go to www.budweiser.com and you can read all about the clydesdale and the price and weight of the harness that each wears. Very interesting reading at budweiser.com.

[CindyDawg]

LOL. Well I can almost walk under the 15 hands anyway. Is Mount Pleasant near you? I would like to see him when he comes back to Texas.

[tuffydoodle]

I think Mount Pleasant is a pretty good drive from me, maybe 2 hours or so. I'd like to see that horse, too!