Big Jake (March 2001 – June 2021) was a red
flaxen Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
gelding horse noted for his extreme height.
He stood at tall and weighed .
According to the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, 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.
After
Sampson Sampson may refer to:
Military
* , several Royal Navy ships
* , several US Navy ships
* Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class
* Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956
* SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...
at (foaled 1846, in
Toddington Mills,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, England), he is the second-tallest horse on record.
Big Jake was born in 2001 in the U.S. state of
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, weighing approximately , which is about heavier than is typical for his breed.
His parents were normal-sized, and he was tall as a
foal, but not exceptionally so.
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.
Gilbert kept Big Jake at Smokey Hollow Farm, near
Poynette, Wisconsin
Poynette is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,590 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Poynette was named after Pierre Paquette (1796–1836), an early f ...
,
feeding him two to three buckets of grain and a whole bale of hay daily.
His stall was almost twice the size of that for a regular horse and he was transported in
semi-trailer
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer.
A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a trac ...
s due to his size.
Big Jake competed in
draft horse showing
Draft horse showing (UK and Commonwealth; draught horse, dray horse or carthorse) refers to horse shows exclusively for horses of the draft horse breeds. In North America, though a small number of draft horses are also shown under saddle, the term ...
competitions before retiring in 2013,
and made regular appearances at the
Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August (occasionally beginning late July) and lasts 11 days.
History
The first W ...
. Visitors to the farm were offered barn tours, which included meeting Big Jake.
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.
Jerry Gilbert hailed Big Jake as a "gentle giant", and stated that he intended to keep his stall empty as a memorial.
Explanatory notes
References
{{reflist
2001 animal births
2021 animal deaths
Biological records
Individual draft horses
Individual male horses
Horses in the United States