The Budweiser Clydesdales Come to Town
For the month of the July (our 2nd and last month of summer break), my goal was to have fun, but to do some more budget friendly things after our 2 weeks vacation to Europe and a weekend tubing in the Ellijay. So when I saw that the Budweiser Clydesdales were going to be downtown in our little town for a couple of hours, we made sure to stop by to admire them before going to the movies (we signed up for AMC rewards which gives us 25% of our tickets and $5 Tuesday movies).
My youngest was at first unimpressed about going to see some horses. If he wasn’t riding a horse, he didn’t want to see a horse. However, when he saw the Clydesdales, he was duly impressed.
Who remembers seeing the iconic beer commercials around Christmas time? While my kids did not, they still enjoyed seeing these majestic animals close up for a few minutes. I read a few facts on their website and one fact really struck me was that their horseshoes are 20 in from end to end. Standing close to them, you do get a since of the horses’ size, but 20 in horseshoe?
Their harnesses and collars weigh around 130 pounds and one of the reason from the dalmatian is companionship for the horses. The dalmatians have traveled with the Budweiser hitch since 1950 and the team of wagon and horses has been a marketing tool since the early 1930s when August Busch Sr received a gift of 6 Clydesdales horses from his sons.
Their is a team of caretakers that come along from the drivers of the 50 feet tractor trailers, groomers and a team that takes care of their diet and the hitch drivers. The horse stay at local stables every night.
I kind of matched the trucks with my patriotic outfit. I wore looks all week that included the flag’s colors in some way.
A little detail that made me laugh was how the horses tails were tied up in a bow! Easier to stay clean that way!
The Clydesdales reside in a stable in St. Louis when not on tour. You need to stop by their website to look at the photo gallery! Just beautiful creatures! The average size of a male is 17 to 19 hands and you can tell the difference between them and other breeds when you stand close by.
A bientôt!
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50 Comments
Kathrine Eldridge
Seeing these horses reminds me of my childhood! Who could forget their amazing commercials!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
mimifce
Yes!
Mark Barilleaux
My father worked for a Budweiser distributor in Louisiana and as a little kid in the late 1950’s we were fortunate to have the clydesdales cone not only our town, but came down our street. Because ny father workef for Budweiser they stopped and actually gave my brothers and i a ride around the block on the wagon.
We were pretty big stuff after that.
Those were the days
mimifce
That is really cool! I am so glad I shared this post as many have shared their experience with them.
Judy Prescher
This was a great story. Thank you for sharing. The Clydesdales horse shoes are made at Anvil Brand horse shoes in Lexington, IL which is close to my hometown.
mimifce
Neat fact!
VINCENT F MILLER
I remember them from my childhood at Busch Gardens Tampa. Oh I miss that period of my life I’m 60 now.
Diane Murphy
The first Cardinal baseball game of year our Clydesdale’s with the Budweiser Hitch makes an appearance with a trip around the inside of the stadium. Great feeling. Cardinals and St. Louis are very lucky to have them
mimifce
That is really neat.
Joanne
When I was in high school my mother and sisters and I took off for a girl’s weekend away and we ended up going to New Hampshire and toured the Budweiser Brewery. My youngest sister rode horses competatively and loves anything to do with horses so we had to walk out ot the stables and see them. They were quite impressive. However, we never got to see them all hooked up and lined up side by side!
mimifce
That is really cool!
VINCENT F MILLER
Actually I’ll be 60 on August 23rd
VINCENT F MILLER
Actually I’ll be 60 on August 23rd. Why Busch Gardens no longer has them I believe was a terrible idea that they’ve got to see. Those horses and the entire beer experience brought in so many compared to now.
Penny
What beautiful horses. We have the same thing in Lewes as there is a local brewery (Harveys) that has a trailer and a pair of magnificent horses. They come out for special occasions as the beer is mostly delivered of course by conventional means. But when they do – what a sight they are.
What a treat for you all!
mimifce
That is really neat that they have something similar in the UK! They sure a magnificent horses: so big!
Nancy
I don’t know the commercial but I do love those horses! Such beautiful animals.
mimifce
Yes, I didn’t realize how big they are!
Tammy lee yost
Love the horses
Marsha Banks
We actually toured the St. Louis facility! The stables are amazing…lots of Tiffany stained glass and beautiful tilework. The harnesses are custom made for each horse and cost (this was several years ago) over $20,000 each! When we were there, they were grooming one of them. They had to use ladders to reach! Thanks for the reminder of that wonderful trip. We also toured the brewery which Mike liked. I found it interesting, but I don’t drink so I had Diet Coke while everyone else drank Buds!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
mimifce
Thanks for sharing: that is really cool!
Jennifer
Oh this is fun!
Jennifer
https://curatedbyjennifer.com
mimifce
Those horses are gargantuous!
Melody Jacob
The facts you shared about the Clydesdales are fascinating—20-inch horseshoes and 130-pound harnesses highlight just how impressive these animals are. The tradition of the dalmatian companions and the care that goes into maintaining the team adds such a rich layer to their story.
mimifce
Someone mentioned seeing them use ladders to groom them!
Jill
How fun! I loved the Clydesdales commercials. Those horses are beautiful!
Jill – Doused in Pink
mimifce
They sure are!
Christine Bell
I would love to know when and where its ever possible to see the Clydesdales! I live in Southern California.
mimifce
I am pretty sure they have a schedule posted on their website.
Betty Ruth Asphy
This sounds delightful.
Patrick Weseman
That is so very cool. What a fun time.
mimifce
I am glad we took the time to stop and see them!
Dini Vigliano
We are lucky enough to see them at the Devon Horse Show in Devon Pa . Every May they come and thunder into the show ring. Amazing site that never gets old. We can visit them in the stalls and watch them get the tack on.
mimifce
That is really cool!
Tim
I was lucky enough to see them in St. Louis a few years back. What Beautiful animals! You look quite Beautiful as well
mimifce
They sure are magnificent.
Robin Lynn Anderson
A special thank you to all the people involved in taking care of these beautiful animals. We went to tour the Fairfield brewery in California. The horses were there. What a treat. The public is not allowed to touch them but you can get up close to them. and let them breath on you.
mimifce
I noticed that you couldn’t touch them. They had some barriers on one side so you didn’t get too close and on the other side was the sidewalk.
Debbie Tacker
My husband and I had the opportunity to go to Warmm Springs Ranch where their breeding stables are in July. The grounds, stables, and of course the beautiful Clydesdale horses. The trip took us 7 hours to get there from where we live, but well worth it. The new foals are kept there till they are 6 months old before being separated from their mothers. Such an interesting trip, they are magnificent horses and well taken care of.
mimifce
Oh, wow! I wonder how big those foals are when they are born!
Tom
I met the crew and team when they were in Alpharetta GA. Preparing for a performance in Atlanta.
I spent about three hours with them . I met the horses and toured the tractor trailers. One trailer for the horses and another for their wagon and harnesses.
mimifce
That is really neat. It would be nice to be able to ask questions and see them really up close.
Mariah Almonte
Does anybody know that Clydesdale tails are surgically manipulated to stand up, meaning they cannot use that tail again to swish off vermin like a real horse.
mimifce
Interesting: here it looks like they are tied in a bow which I would think it untied when not on display, but it would be a question to ask them. That is too bad though if it is true.
Anne Stevens
I have awesome memories of these beautiful horses, also called “Gentile Giants”! I have a friend that use to train then and,”drive” them in parades. They pulled old fire wagons, buck boards and other ,kinds of old wagons.
The sound of them prancing down the street , I will never forget, I can still hear them as I write this. They were very gentile considering their size. The reason for their name Gentile Giants. As a child I lived in Ohio, across the road from a farm that still used then. I use to ride in the wagon as they harvested corn. Great memories I have of those ” guys” ! One of God’s blessings to us!,
mimifce
Wow! What a neat experience! Thanks for sharing!
Carol thomas
Ive,seen them in st. Louis and in rolling meadiws…they are magnificent! Hope to see them again
mimifce
That’s really cool!
Sally
I love to see these magnificant animals I have seen them sereral times. It chills me to hear them clop
Down the street. The groomers take excellent care of them.
mimifce
On this occasion, we didn’t get to see them move but that would quite an experience.
Elisabeth J. Emmett
Budweiser needs to stop cropping the horses tails. It causes them so much pain and agony in addition to not being able to swat biting flying insects of their back. Shame on Budweiser