A friend of mine has a Percheron that is five years old and still growing. He is estimated to be around 20.5 or more hands when he is finished growing. And around 3000 - 3500 lbs. My friend says this is the largest horse he has ever seen, and he has been around horses all his life (he's a senior citizen now) Max has givin me permision to come over and take pictures and I will as soon as I am able and can catch him home. I'm anxious to post pics of this giant.
My question is: How large is large? Do they really get this big? How large is the largest horse you have seen or owned?
First off, if you mean 20 and 1/2 hands, it would be written 20.2 (a hand is 4 inches, and the 2 is 2 inches, or 1/2 of a hand.)
At 5, how tall is he currently? Some horses (drafts especially) DO grow a bit after 5, but he must already be gigantic if the estimated finished height is 20.2 hands. 20.2 hands is HUGE, even for a draft horse, and it is especially tall for a Percheron as they are not one of the taller draft breeds.
There is another horse named Poe that the owners feel is taller (unofficial measurement is 20.2 hands) but he has not yet been measured by Guiness yet--
Both of the above big guys are Clydesdales, according to the news articles.
Soooo, if the big guy you are going to see DOES top out at 20.2, he may be in the running!
When you go get pics (can't wait!) can you measure him, or estimate current height? I have a little spot by my basement stairs where I drew 4" increments so I can tell how many hands tall I am (or my chin is, or my collarbone is, or the top of my head is, etc. ) wearing various footwear-- for example with my everyday workboots on, a 16 hand horse would be as tall as my eyebrows. (Yeah I know, the wall chart is a bit obsessive, LOL)
As far as my tallest horses--
I raised a Percheron/TWH cross gelding that made 17.1 hands as an adult, and he was taller than either parent at maturity. (TWH dam was 16 hands, Percheron sire was 16.3.) I currently own an Appaloosa mare who is 16.2+ and I have owned two other Appaloosas who were 16.3.
I don't know heights but i've seen some really big belgians and shires. Though i've been told that Shires are the largest (height wise) of the draft breeds.
Just a little horse trivia, the biggest horse in the world was a Percheron named Dr Le Gear. He stood at 21hh and weighed 3024lb (1,372kg). Now that is a big horse!
Max is probably around 5'9, 5'10 and when he stands next to this big guys front leg there is around 6-8" from the top of Max's head to the top of the withers.
I'm going to try to catch him today and get pics. He'll be excited to know that he may end up with a record holder.
First off, if you mean 20 and 1/2 hands, it would be written 20.2 (a hand is 4 inches, and the 2 is 2 inches, or 1/2 of a hand.)
Thats how it goes it the horse world. I was pondering that the other day, its really not correct. The 20-is in hands, the .2-is in inches, you can't technically mix measurement systems. So 20.5 is actually technically correct. We horse people very much enjoy confusing nonhorsey people.
OK. Here's the pics of this giant, and his friends.
I wish that Max would have been around when I got there to get him out and stand next to him to show you his size. This giant doesn't have a mean bone in his body, but I still wouldn't get out someone else's horse with out them there. The rest of the horses are Max's other pulling team.
Do they really get this big? 
How large is the largest horse you have seen or owned? 
