Known as ¨Big Jake¨ and the world´s tallest horse was a Belgian breed who had just turned 20. In 2020, he was listed as the tallest and resided in Poynette on the Smokey Hollow Farm with Jerry Gilbert (owner) and his wife Valicia Gilbert. Unfortunately, the news was sad to hear as the family shared it and the family stated that the death of Jake occurred a couple of weeks ago. Besides that, the Gilbert´s declined to share Big Jake´s date that he died and stated Remembering him by a date is not what we want to do. It is a traumatic experience to go through. At the time of being inducted into the world records, Big Jake stood over 2 meters tall and just shy of 7 feet. His weight was also more than 2,400 lbs.

Jerry Gilbert mentioned that Big Jake was considered a majestic horse and animal. At birth, Big Jake was over 230 lbs This weight is 100 lbs more than the normal Belgian weight at birth. His daily diet consisted of hay and a mix of vitamins, minerals, and oats. Without Big Jake, the farm is eerily silent and it is obvious that it is known among the other animals. It is believed that they are also grieving but in their own manner due to the fact that Big Jake was a huge presence among them. Although a huge emptiness exists, his presence still lingers. During the 2014 Midwest Horse Fair, Big Jake was one of the most viewed interests among all of them.

In the past, Big Jake was considered a friendly horse and relished the amount of attention he received from others. He always enjoyed that. You know when he was tired of the attention because he would retreat to go eat or drink and then return. Big Jake also loved to stand above others and see them by looking down at them. By that time retirement had already reached Big Jake from a hitch team, which was known for competing countrywide. Ever since Big Jake began to take part in a variety of shows as well as the Fair. He remained a very popular horse and is still considered amazing. While being handled, Big Jake was a baby. However, when he was out and about he would turn into another horse as soon as he is out in the open, where he felt free.

Big Jake was also known to be a gentle and loving member of the family. He was considered to be a hard-working horse who looked forward to working among others. He truly enjoyed being around others. Whenever children were near he would allow them to pet him by lowering his head to their level. He would also allow a halter to be put on because of his height which made it difficult to reach otherwise. Out of all of the memories of Big Jake, the fondest was when Mr. Gilbert would rub his belly. He loved it so much that he seemingly acted like a big puppy. Big Jake would be on the heels of his humans everywhere they went. If he didn´t want to be alone he would place his head on a shoulder to indicate it. In order to show honor to the beloved Big Jake, his stall will remain empty for an undetermined amount of time as well as a brick placed on the stall with a photo and his name.