Meet the adorable world’s SHORTEST and TALLEST horses!
Meet Pumuckel and Hugo, the record-breaking horses who’ve made our hearts melt!
Little Pumuckel from Germany is the world’s shortest horse, standing at 52.6 cm (21.1 in) to the withers – that’s about the height of a traffic cone!
Hugo on the other hand, a HUGE horse from the UK, is about 4 times Pumuckel’s size and he’s the world’s tallest horse, with a height of 199 cm (6 ft 6 in).
Aren’t they both adorable?!
Hugo is believed to weigh in at around 890 kg (1,960 lb), which is about the same as 2 grand pianos… WOW!
He lives on a farm with Brett and Lisa Masters in Towcester, Northamptonshire, UK and, according to Lisa, he “is a big softy, like an oversized dog”.
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Hugo is a local icon, making appearances from time to time at community festivals and country shows where the crowds have been able to admire his size!
When asked if they knew Hugo would turn out to be this tall when they first got him, Lisa said: “His parents were not an unusual height, […] so we weren’t expecting him to get so big.”
But Lisa isn’t fazed by Hugo’s height when riding him, as she explained: “It’s the same as any other horse once up there, but it is very high. Once on board, my head is around three metres from the ground!
“Getting on and off is the tricky part as I’m not very tall myself. We use a decorating stool called a ‘hop-up’. We also use it when plaiting him for shows.”
Would you be brave enough to ride Hugo?
And now, let’s get to know Pumuckel…
Like Hugo, the tiny pony, who is owned by Carola Weidemann, is something of a local legend in his community of Breckerfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Oh, and he is a therapy animal – he regularly visits the elderly or those recuperating in hospitals and hospices, helping to reduce stress and loneliness during difficult times!
How cool is that?!
Pumuckel was not bred to be the size he is, but instead his small stature is simply a wonderful “quirk of nature”…
“He has a very lovable character,” Carola said. “He’s incredibly good with children, he loves being scratched and cuddled.
“Pumuckel loves being the centre of attention.”
Congratulations, Hugo and Pumuckel, you are both Officially Amazing!