Looking at this photo of Poe standing next to his owner, it’s easy to imagine that he’s the tallest horse in the world.
Standing at 20.2 hands (6’10”), he towers over his diminutive owner Shereen Thompson, who is only 5’3″. With his head up, he is about 10′ tall.
Thompson, who lives in Canada, found Poe in February 2008 where he had a job hauling crates of Budweiser in the city of London, Ontario. She named him after her favorite poet.
Poe is a Clydesdale, a breed of draft horse that was named from the region in Scotland where they originated more than 300 years ago. Clydesdales are generally between 16-17 hands tall and weigh 1,800-2,300 pounds.In comparison, Poe weighs 3,000 pounds. Watch your toes around him!
They are, perhaps, best known as the mascot for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. According to the Seaworld website,
They were formally introduced to August A. Busch Sr. and Anheuser-Busch on April 7, 1933, to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. August A. Busch Jr. wanted to commemorate the special day. To his father’s delight, the hitch thundered down Pestalozzi Street carrying the first case of post-Prohibition beer from the St. Louis brewery.
8-horse wagons have been used in commercials and in parades to pull the beer wagon. Apparently the first team was drafted into use after August A. Busch II scolded his son for buying a new Lincoln Town Car during the depression.