Pictured: Duke, the 6ft 5in Shire horse that is Britain's tallest (but he's still scared of mice)

He's about as heavy as a family car - and costs almost as much to run. Duke the shire horse stands 19.3 hands, or around 6ft 5in at the shoulder.

Duke the shire horse stands 19.3 hands, or around 6ft 5in at the shoulder.

He lives in a stable which had to be custom-built to fit all four hooves, and his blankets have to be made to measure. And he munches through £80 of food a week.

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Hefty: 6ft 5in Duke and refuge owner Sara Ross standing alongside a Shetland pony

The one-ton giant has already claimed the title of Britain's tallest. horse.

At five years old he is still growing, however - and may one day take the world record from Radar, a Canadian shire who is around an inch taller.

Earlier this week the Daily Mail featured Chilli, a nine-year-old Friesian who at 6ft6in is believed to be the country's tallest bullock.

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Mighty: Duke weighs the same as a family car and costs £80 a week to feed

Luckily for those who take care of Duke at The Horse Refuge in Finchingfield, near Braintree, Essex, he is as gentle as a lamb.

Carer Sara Ross said: "He's a big baby at heart and is frightened of lots of things, which is unusual because he's such a huge horse and shires are generally very laid back.

"The first time he heard a mobile phone, he freaked. He also doesn't like the rain and will come running back to his stable when it's raining. He also hates snow."

She added: "We rescued him about 18 months ago when his owner suddenly died and since then he's grown and grown.

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Gentle giant: The shire horse is friendly with other horses at the refuge - but scared of mice

"He's the biggest horse I've ever seen and I've seen quite a few horses over the years. He's an absolute giant."

The amount of food he eats is four times that of a normal horse, said Mrs Ross.

"He can really pack it away. In the summer he has two small feeds and then eats grass in the field.

"In winter, he has two large feeds and "ad-lib" hay - which generally means around one-and-a-half bales a day. If he didn't come in at night he'd eat all the grass in the field."

Despite his size, Duke gets on well with his more diminutive stablemates and has a particularly soft spot for a Shetland pony called Jasper.

The average height of a shire horse is 17.2 hands. The British record of 19.2 hands was held by a shire called Cracker until his death last year.

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