In the general perception of people, camels and horses are considered entirely different creatures. Even the smallest camel is much taller and more robust than a horse.
However, this view is actually one-sided because most people have not seen the "Sharma," the world's most powerful horse, whose strength is enough to pull 13 strong men continuously and remain unmoved.
Sharma, the king of horses, a horse comparable in size to an elephant, has overturned people's common understanding of horses.
Typically, we consider the height of an ordinary horse to be around 1.5-2 meters, weighing about 500 kilograms, with slight variations being normal.
But Sharma's physique completely surpasses this range. Its shoulder height reaches 2.19 meters, and with the length of its neck, it surpasses 3 meters, almost matching an elephant.
In addition to its massive size, Sharma also boasts enviable muscle definition. According to relevant data, Sharma weighs over a ton, frequently appearing in the Guinness World Records.
Sharma's robust physique, especially its exceptionally powerful hindquarters, gives it more strength than even a bull. Unless it wants to, people cannot move it at all.
Some attempted to test Sharma's strength by tug of war and found that even with 13 strong men combined, they couldn't budge it a step.
Thus, Sharma becomes a unique existence with its robust physique and unparalleled strength, justifying its title as the "king of horses."
Although it appears sturdy, careful observation reveals that Sharma is actually very beautiful. Its entire body is covered in shiny black, while its limbs are as white as snow, especially the fluffy hair on its lower legs, adding a sense of strength.
Their feet are covered with long hair, effectively protecting their hooves. In 1924, Sharma could even pull a weight of up to 5 tons directly.
Considering its strength, Sharma's daily food intake is also considerable. According to caretakers, it requires about 8 kilograms of feed and over 75 liters of water daily, with feed costs alone amounting to hundreds of thousands annually.
However, Sharma's strength is not in vain. It proves that effort will yield results.
Sharma first appeared in 18th-century Britain and underwent meticulous breeding and improvement over hundreds of years to become what it is today.
At that time, people bred Sharma as a draft horse for transporting goods. Through careful selection and combining genetics, they cultivated the Sharma breed, characterized by its large size and immense strength.
Sharma played a significant role in farm labor and transportation, especially before the Industrial Revolution, solving the problem of manual labor, with almost all transportation depending on it.
Although some tried to use Sharma as a warhorse, its large size, lack of agility, and gentle temperament ultimately deemed it unsuitable.
Sharma's gentle temperament and lack of aggressiveness also limited its role on the battlefield, but it excelled in logistics, helping transport military supplies, saving a lot of manpower.
However, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, Sharma's role in people's lives gradually diminished. Trains and machinery replaced their original roles.
Although Sharma is no longer needed for physical labor, substantial funds are still required for their upkeep every year, leading many people to no longer want to keep horses.
Since World War II, Sharma's numbers have sharply declined, with the war accelerating this trend. Protection for Sharma is urgent, and the Sharma Association was established in 1884 to protect this precious breed.
According to the Sharma Association's statistics, there are currently only about 3,500 Sharmas left, far fewer than the one million before World War II, and the extinction rate is much faster than the breeding rate, making the protection of Sharma particularly important.
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