At
19 Hands 31/2
Inches Tall, (67 1/2" at the withers) Radar is featured in
the Guinness Book of World Records as the Tallest Living
Horse!
Horses are measured along the front leg to the top of the
shoulder. A hand is equal to 4 inches.
Radar is a Belgian Draft Horse. The Belgian, as the name
implies, is native to the country of Belgium. This little
country is blessed with fertile soil and abundant rainfall
providing the thrifty farmers of Belgium with the excellent
pastures and the hay and grain necessary to develop a heavy,
powerful breed of horse.
Radar eats 18
Ibs. of grain, 40 Ibs. of hay, and drinks 20 gallons of
water each day.
Radar, a
gelding, was born in 1998 in Iowa, USA.
Draft horses are used to pull heavy objects like plows or
wagons. A team of two Belgian horses in the Heavyweight
class pulled 17,000 pounds a distance of 7'2". The team of
Belgians weighed 4,800 pounds. Belgians are well suited for
this type of work because of their large size and their
gentle disposition.
Radar is the second
record "Tallest Horse" that Priefert Ranch Equipment
has
owned and shown. The first one was named Goliath he was 19
hands 1 inch.
The company
makes cattle and horse panels and is located in Mt. Pleasent,
Texas.
They also have a
8-horse team out on display. (like Budweiser's but they use
Percherons in the Priefert hitch)
Abby's nephew,
Steve went down and helped them when the bought Goliath and
their first draft horse hitch. He was driving and caring
for the horses before they were sold to Priefert.
The horses
are always shown for the company and not as a pay
exhibit.
Rick West
Photographs courtesy of
John
Robinson copyright ©2007 All rights reserved
