Priefert’s Radar is owned by Priefert Ranch Equipment
What if Radar was a police horse? He’d probably be the biggest police horse in the world.
In 2008 a Belgian gelding named “Priefert’s Radar” was the tallest horse. Radar was born in Iowa in 1998 and grew up to be listed in the Guiness World Record book from 2006 to 2009.
Radar’s even bigger than the horse in this week’s “Just for Grins” video.
Officer Lloyd Douglas, Sgt. Howard Mason, and Sgt. Chal DeCecco use a ladder as a mounting block to ride this large Belgian horse named “Hercules” at the California State Fair in 2008.
Uploaded by Totallyelvisdouglas on Mar 10, 2010
Photo by Drew Gardner
Radar’s photos aren’t on the Priefert website anymore, but I’d saved some off years ago using photos of Radar as my desktop wallpaper. Just like Hercules the Police Horse, you would need a 6 foot ladder as a mounting block for Radar.
At 6 feet 7 1/2 inches at top of withers he would just squeeze through an average door frame in height by ducking down his head. Horses are measured in a unit of measurement called a ”hand”, which is 4 inches. This made Radar measured as the tallest horse in 2008 at 19 hands 3 1/2 inches. He weighed in at 2,400 pounds.
“You don’t realize how big they are until you’re holding onto their halter.” – Charles Woods (3)
Priefert’s Radar is owned by Priefert. Radar definitely earned his keep touring the country to promote Priefert products. He travelled up to 30,000 miles a year in an air-conditioned, customized horse trailer with a canine companion called Hoss and his handlers, Guilda and Charles Woods. Every 4 – 6 weeks Radar returned to Mount Pleasant, Texas, the home of Priefert, to take a break from travelling.
Radar could eat 40 pounds of hay, 18 pounds of grain, then wash that down with 20 gallons of water each day.
“He’s our PR horse. He’s been promoted from labor to management, and he’s paid all the grain and feed he wants. It’s just like feeding two or three horses in one feeding.” – Charles Woods (1)
“Radar is really smooth to ride at the walk and slow trot, but the faster he goes, the rougher he gets. Riding him is definitely an experience.” – Guilda Woods (2)
Radar had to “go large or go home” and Priefert retired him when another horse took the World Record. Radar joined another Priefert owned former tallest horse, a black Percheron gelding named Goliath, in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Radar was honored by Breyer Model horses in 2010 as a Limited Edition. As a horseless child I played with a the plastic Breyer horses instead of dolls, including a family of Palomino draft horses.
Priefert brought Radar out of retirement to attend BreyerFest at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
Radar at Breyerfest 2010 – Photo by Appaloosa on Flickr
(Creative Commons License)
I’m glad that Priefert has such beautiful draft horses to promote their products. Priefert makes great horse panels. We have a set of Priefert brown 10 foot utility panels with walk-thru gate as fencing for a paddock area for our two Icelandic horses. The panels are sturdy well made safe and definitely ”worth-the-money” horse panels! I hope I can get to meet Radar someday. It would take 3 of our Icelandics to add up to the weight of Radar.
Priefert has a set of Percheron geldings called “Texas Thunder” that tours.
Photo by Drew Gardner
Reference:
(1) The Salt Lake Tribune “High horse? Radar’s the highest” by Arrin Newton Brunson published September 13, 2006
(2) Ag Weekly ‘World’s tallest horse tours Utah/Idaho’ by Susan Dudasik published July 27, 2007
(3) Rexburg Standard “The World’s Biggest Horse visits Rexburg” by Joseph Law published August 31, 2007
(4) Rural Heritage Horse Paddock
Priefert on Facebook
Priefert Utility Panel video