Famous horseWorld record
Big Jake
Guinness recognised the Belgian gelding Big Jake as the tallest living horse: 210.19 cm, measured on 19 January 2010 without shoes. It is a historic record.
Horse records and top performances
Official Guinness records and exceptional sporting and financial feats: from the tallest horse ever to record sums, championship streaks and Olympic medals. Where the breed registration is confirmed, the card links to the breed page.
World record
Endo the Blind
Endo the Blind is a blind Appaloosa with several Guinness records, including a 106-centimetre free jump and 39 flying changes in one minute, on 29 October 2022.
World record
Huaso ex-Faithful
Huaso ex-Faithful jumped 2.47 metres high with rider Alberto Larraguibel Morales on 5 February 1949, still the official high-jump record; the breed is not confirmed in the record source.
World record
JJS Summer Breeze
JJS Summer Breeze holds the Guinness record for the longest tail on a horse at 381 centimetres, on 23 August 2007; the breed is not stated in the record source.
World record
Mongol Derby
The Mongol Derby is the longest horse race at about 1,000 kilometres, held annually since 2009; riders change horses regularly, so it is not an individual horse record.
World record
Old Billy
Old Billy is the oldest horse ever at 62 years according to Guinness; he died on 27 November 1822. His breed is not reliably established.
World record
Pumuckel
Pumuckel is recognised by Guinness as the smallest living male horse, at 52.6 centimetres at the withers, on 16 August 2025; the exact studbook registration is still being checked.
Famous horseWorld record
Sampson, later Mammoth
The Shire Sampson, later called Mammoth, is described by Guinness as the tallest and heaviest documented horse ever: 2.19 metres, with a reported weight of about 1,524 kilograms, around 1850.
World record
Something
Something jumped 8.40 metres over water with rider Andre Ferreira on 25 April 1975, the official record for the longest water jump; the breed is not confirmed in the record source.
Famous horseWorld record
Thumbelina
Thumbelina was a miniature mare recognised by Guinness as the smallest living female horse, at 44.5 centimetres at the withers; she held the record until her death in 2018.
World recordRacing record
Winning Brew
Winning Brew holds the Guinness record for the fastest recorded racing speed: 70.35 kilometres per hour over two furlongs, on 14 May 2008. That is a speed over a short distance, not a general top speed.
World Cup record
Baloubet du Rouet
Baloubet du Rouet won the FEI Jumping World Cup Finals of 1998, 1999 and 2000 in a row with Rodrigo Pessoa; the FEI describes the run as unmatched.
World Cup record
Bonfire
Bonfire won five FEI Dressage World Cup Finals in six seasons with Anky van Grunsven between 1995 and 2000; the FEI calls him the most successful horse in the history of this final.
Reported sale price
Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus was reportedly sold to Coolmore in 2000 for more than 70 million US dollars; this is a reported, estimated private sale price.
Racing record
Kincsem
Kincsem won all 54 races she started between 1876 and 1879, the longest unbeaten run from the start of a career.
Championship feat
La Biosthetique Sam FBW
La Biosthetique Sam FBW and Michael Jung were the first eventing pair to hold all three titles at once, after world gold in 2010, European gold in 2011 and Olympic gold in 2012; the exact studbook link for the site is still being determined.
Olympic feat
Rembrandt
Rembrandt won individual and team dressage gold with Nicole Uphoff at both the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games; the Westphalian breed does not yet have its own breed page.
Auction record
The Green Monkey
The Green Monkey sold for 16 million US dollars in 2006, at the time a world record at a public horse auction.
Famous horseOlympic feat
Gigolo FRH
Gigolo FRH, with Isabell Werth, was one of the most successful Hanoverian dressage horses; together they won four gold and two silver Olympic medals between 1992 and 2000.
Famous horseLong-distance expedition
Mancha en Gato
Mancha and Gato were two Criollos who travelled with Aime Tschiffely about 16,000 kilometres from Argentina toward North America between 1925 and 1928.
Famous horseWorld record
Valegro
Valegro is one of the most famous dressage horses ever and is in the KWPN Hall of Fame; with Charlotte Dujardin he scored 93.4 percent in the Grand Prix Freestyle in 2014, listed by the FEI as the highest ever.
Frequently asked questions
What is the tallest horse ever?
The Shire Sampson, later called Mammoth, is described by Guinness as the tallest and heaviest documented horse ever: 2.19 metres, with a reported weight of about 1,524 kilograms, around 1850.
What is the smallest horse ever?
Thumbelina was a miniature mare recognised by Guinness as the smallest living female horse, at 44.5 centimetres at the withers; she held the record until her death in 2018.
What is the fastest recorded horse?
Winning Brew holds the Guinness record for the fastest recorded racing speed: 70.35 kilometres per hour over two furlongs, on 14 May 2008. That is a speed over a short distance, not a general top speed.
What is the highest jump ever by a horse?
Huaso ex-Faithful jumped 2.47 metres high with rider Alberto Larraguibel Morales on 5 February 1949, still the official high-jump record; the breed is not confirmed in the record source.