DARRYL WEBBER
published at www.thisistotalessex.co.uk

He's 6ft 6ins tall, weighs as much as a car and eats £80 worth of food each week.But giant shire horse Duke is a gentle-natured soul despite his size who gets spooked by mice and doesn't like bad weather!

The equine behemoth may be too big to fit in a standard stable at the Horse Refuge sanctuary in Finchingfield, north Essex, but he loves affection and attention - and he's best mates with a tiny Shetland pony called Jasper. The five-year-old is still a youngster and owner Sara Ross says he will get even bigger.

"He's the biggest horse I've seen, and I've seen quite a few horses over the years," she said.

"We've measured him and he's 19.3 hands. He's an absolute giant!

"We rescued him about 18 months ago and he's grown and grown. He's only five years old so he hasn't stopped growing yet."

If Duke does continue growing he's likely to overtake the world's tallest horse, a Canadian shire, Radar, who measures just over 19.3 hands - equine size is measured by the height of the withers, which is the highest part of the back, at the base of the horse's neck.

"Everyone who comes to see him can't believe their eyes, he's massive," said Sara.

"He costs a fortune to feed. We have to bring him in at night because he'd eat all the grass in the field."

Contact the Horse Refuge on 01371 810490 or go to www.thehorserefuge.org .