Once upon a time, there was a horse called Sampson. A shire gelding born in Bedfordshire, England, in 1846, Sampson was special for one reason – he was a really big deal.
Shire horses are known to be pretty large beasts. They are a British breed of that are valued for their strength, especially for pulling farming equipment or, historically, for towing barges along canals. These horses also have a close history with the brewing industry, as they used to lug brewer’s drays for delivering beer.
Today, working horses like shires still perform various tasks, but they are also bred for recreational purposes, such as riding and showing.
As is clear from simply looking at one, shire horses are big animals. The height of a stallion at the point known as the “withers”, the ridge between the horse’s shoulder blades, is between around 163 centimeters (64 inches or 16 hands) and 183 centimeters (72 inches or 18 hands), with mares generally falling to the lower end. The weight of these horses can vary from 816 to 1,088 kilograms (1,800 to 2,400 pounds).
Now enters Sampson. When he walked into the stable, all the other horses had long faces, because he truly was a monster.
There isn’t much information about Sampson out there, which is a shame given his achievement. But according to , Sampson was 219 centimeters (86 inches or 21.5 hands) tall. That’s about 1.5 Danny Devitos in height, or just under the height of André the Giant, who was 224 centimeters (7 feet 4 inches) tall.
Sampson also neighed weighed, 1,524 kilograms (3,360 lbs), which is more than the weight of a Toyota Corolla.
After he was crowned the world’s tallest horse, Samson was renamed Mammoth – a far more appropriate name for such a beast.