Big Jake is the world's tallest living horse

At 210.2 cm (82.75"), 11-year-old Belgian gelding Big Jake stands as the world's tallest horse.

Jerry Gilbert of Smokey Hollow Farm (Ostego, Michigan, USA) has raised Big Jake from a weanling to today. "He was extremely hard to hold on to when he was young and when I would turn him outside sometimes he would take me with him!"

Fortunately, the 2600-pound horse has calmed down a bit in his age. "He is friendly with all the other animals," says Jerry. "He has a great temperament and and works hard when he is harnessed to a wagon."

There's a lot of accommodation to be made for such a large animal, too. "Everything has to be big! His stall is 20X20 feet when an average stall is about 12X12 feet… when we transport him we have to use a semi trailer."

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While there's a lot of food that could fit in that stall, Big Jake is on a strictly healthy diet, consuming 1 1/2 bales of hay and 40 quarts of oats per day.

"We are proud to hold the record and enjoy the people who visit the farm," said Jerry. "We enjoy the reactions and when people leave our farm happy from the experience of seeing Jake."

READ MORE: What Big Jake gets up to eight years after he became the world's tallest horse