14 DAY TRIAL // Indeed, rhinos are horses' (and donkeys' and zebras', too) closest evolutionary cousins. And it appears that some horses prove this through their size.
Digger, a British Clydesdale, at its 6ft 6in (1.95 m) height at the withers, is Britain's biggest living horse. The horse is only four years old, the equine equivalent of a teenager, so the horse could grow bigger. His new owner, Lisa McFarlane, keeps the horse at the International League for the Protection of Horses' Belwade Farm in Aboyne, Scotland. His ex-owner had health issues and could not cope with such a huge animal.
"He is the largest horse we have ever had. He is the equivalent of a growing teenage boy --never out of the fridge. Heaven knows what size he is going to end up," said Eileen Gillen, farm manager.
Digger has reached now the record of Cracker, a Shire horse from Lincolnshire, which had the same height in 2005. Still, the current Guinness World Record is held by a Belgian draft horse called Radar. Radar is about 6ft 7?in (1.99 m) tall. Radar, 9 years old, weighs 2,700 lbs (1,215 kg), as much as an average black rhino. He lives in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Still, a Tennessee Shire horse located on a farm 65 mi (104 km) northeast of Chattanooga could be the tallest horse in the world. At an official measuring in 2007, Jenson Diplomat Tina measured 2.02 m (6 ft 8.5 in), but it had a weight of only ...1600 pounds (720 kg). Tina is a 'teenager' horse as well, and she could turn heavier.
Digger already weighs 900 kilos (2,000 pounds) and eats thrice more than an ordinary horse (which weighs 300-400 kg or 660-900 pounds), 20-25 kg (44-55 pounds), while drinking 20-25 gallons (75-100 liters) of water daily. His hooves are 15 in (38 cm) wide!
Clydesdale horses live 20-25 years.
"Because he is so large we are suspicious that he could develop some joint problems so we will get him thoroughly checked out," said Eileen.