Sovereign the horse is a special kind of horse. Sovereign is actually Europe’s tallest horse – so tall in fact that no saddle will fit him! The horse has only had a saddle once, but then he grew far too large around the girth and he couldn’t wear it anymore. This means that riding this huge horse is the least of your worries – you’re clinging on for dear life! Sovereign is literally the size of a small elephant. Would you dare to ride him bareback?
How would you even get on this huge horse to begin with? Without a western saddle, it’s very difficult to even climb onto him – his owner sometimes uses a stepladder, but even this can be difficult at times. He’s 10ft tall when you measure up to the tips of his ears, and 7ft when you stop at his shoulders.
Also, because the horse is so wide, it’s a bit like trying to sit astride a bus…not too comfortable! His owner recommends that you give him a gentle nudge to get him going once on board, but I bet it’s still a very scary thing to do! This horse isn’t old, he’s only 4 years old – meaning he’s still full of energy! Not to mention still growing.
When his owner first came across him just 2 years ago, Sovereign was neglected. He had rotten teeth and a hoof infection, but luckily Paul found him and got him in tip top condition. By simply taking a look at Sovereign you can see how happy he is…once you’ve got over his tremendous size. He might very well be the biggest horse in the world one day!
Paul knew that Sovereign was big when he first got him, but after seeing him everyday became unaware of how big he was getting. Sovereign is well above average of even the heavy horse breed. A shire horse is 17 hands on average, but Sovereign is 20 hands and 2 inches! This means that he snatched the title of Europe’s tallest horse from a 19.3 horse called Digger.
Sovereign is astonishingly only 3 quarters of an inch shorter than the current Guinness world record holder, Big Jake. To take the crown of the Guinness World Record holder, Sovereign will need to grow another inch – but he’s only young and it could very well happen!
Imagine the sheer amount of worming medicine from wormers.co.uk in order to make him healthy?! Also, Sovereigns father was 4 times national champion Walton Supreme. So not only is Sovereign in the running to be the world’s largest horse, he could easily be a champion too. Although the horse is sweet natured, he can be suspicious of strangers so needs to get to know you a bit before you can ride on him (a few carrots will probably help you!).
What do you think of Sovereign? Would you be afraid to hop on for a ride? Or perhaps you know an even bigger horse?! Let us know what you think in the comments! And if you are interested in horses, you might want to consider getting an equestrian lifestyle subscription box for the latest on equestrian news.