If you have ever been up close to a draft horse, you understand what it’s like to feel small! They are MASSIVE creatures that are loaded with muscle and grace to match. Looking at them, you wonder if there is anything stronger than such a creature…
One group of people decided to test out their horse.
One group of men decided they wanted to see how strong they really were (typical, right?). Instead of doing the normal things to test their strength, like lifting weights or wrestling, the group decided to face off in a battle against a horse.
This wasn’t a fisticuffs match; it was a tug-of-war competition.
Men often found out who is at the top of the athletic ladder through various competitions that measure certain elements of strength or prowess. The next step up from challenging each other in these feats of strength is to challenge another animal!
The group of men decided they would try and beat a Belgian draft horse in a pulling contest.
Obviously, no one man would be able to put up any competition to a horse. But the challenge brings up some interesting questions! Exactly how many men would it take to beat a horse in tug-of-war? Five? Ten?
To give some perspective, here is a little info on Belgian draft horses.
These HUGE horses originated in, well, Belgium, and came from a breed known as the Brabant. Britannica says just how big they get:
Docile and patient in nature, Belgians have thick muscles, heavy bodies, and short legs. They average 16 to 17 hands (64 to 68 inches, or 163 to 173 cm) tall and weigh 1,800 to 2,200 pounds (820 to 1,000 kg). Although the Flemish horse was black, Belgians are usually bay, chestnut, sorrel, or roan in colour.
How many men would it take to compete with a 2000 lb pulling machine?
The competition between man and beast took place in a field with one horse and 18 men! If you combined all the men’s strength into one line (a rope), and had them pull as hard as possible, do you think they would have a chance?
When the video starts, it’s over as soon as it began.
Joep is the horse that will be competing, and he didn’t seem all that worried walking out onto the field. They attach the harnesses and get the rigging all sorted out, and finally, it’s time to pull. Joep stands up straight, leans into the rope, and pulls the 18 men clear across the field!
Joep makes it looked like he is taking these men for a run!
Thankfully, there is always round two. They get started again, and the men square up, confident in their ability. BOOM – the match starts, and Joep has an even MORE deciding lead this time around! It looks like a toddler trying to take a mastiff for a walk and getting dragged across the field when he spots a squirrel!
A graph by San Jose State University shows just how unequal it really is.
In just a mathematical sense, a draft horse has the “power” of ten men. This isn’t really true, however, because a group of ten humans would be much less efficient than one horse pulling. In short, it would take a LOT of humans to out pull a horse in a linear competition. At least we get funny videos like this out of it!
Check out the competition below!
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