In Wisconsin, the world’s tallest horse died. Big Jake, a 20-year-old Belgian, lived on Smokey Hollow Farm near Poynette. When The Associated Press reached out to Valicia Gilbert, wife of the farm’s owner, Jerry Gilbert, on Facebook Monday, she claimed Big Jake died two weeks ago but wouldn’t say when.
“We would rather not remember him by a date — it’s been a traumatic event for our family,” she said.
Jake weighed 2,500 pounds and stood 6-foot-10 (almost 2.1 metres) (1,136 kilograms). The Guinness Book of World Records declared him the world’s tallest living horse in the year 2010. Big Jake was a “superstar” and a “truly magnificent animal,” according to Jerry Gilbert of WMTV. Big Jake was born in Nebraska and weighed 240 pounds (109 kilograms) at birth, which was roughly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) more than a normal Belgian foal at the time.
He wants to keep Big Jake’s stall empty and place a stone with his photo and name on the outside of it as a tribute to the beloved animal.
“It’s very quiet (at the farm),” Jerry Gilbert said. “The other horses know. I think they have their own grieving time because Jake was the center of attention around here. (Phentermine) There is a huge void. It feels like he’s still here, but he’s not.”
