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Clydesdales Fact Sheet |
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The
Clydesdale Breed
Farmers living in the 19th century along the
banks of the River Clyde in Lanarkshire, Scotland,
bred the Great Flemish Horse, the forerunner
of the Clydesdale. These first draft horses
pulled loads of more than 1 ton at a walking
speed of five miles per hour. Soon their reputation
spread beyond the Scottish borders.
In the mid-1800s, Canadians of Scottish descent
brought the first Clydesdales to the United
States where the draft horses resumed their
existence on farms. Today, the Clydesdales are
used primarily for breeding and show.
The Budweiser
Clydesdales
They were formally introduced to August A. Busch
Sr. and Anheuser-Busch on April 7, 1933, to
celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. August
A. Busch Jr. wanted to commemorate the special
day. To his father’s delight, the hitch
thundered down Pestalozzi Street carrying the
first case of post-Prohibition beer from the
St. Louis brewery.
Hitch Requirements
To qualify for one of the six hitches (five
traveling and one stationary), a Budweiser Clydesdale
must be a gelding at least four years of age.
He must stand 72 inches, or 6 feet, at the shoulder
when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300
pounds, be bay in color, have four white stocking
feet, a blaze of white on the face and a black
mane and tail.
Feed
Each hitch horse will consume as much as 20
to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins,
50 to 60 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water
per day.
Hitch Locations
Five traveling Budweiser Clydesdale hitches
are based in St. Louis, Mo.; Menifee, Calif.;
San Diego, Calif.; Merrimack, N.H.; and San
Antonio, Texas. The Budweiser Clydesdales can
be viewed at the Anheuser-Busch breweries in
St. Louis, Merrimack and Ft. Collins, Colo.
The Budweiser Clydesdales also may be viewed
at Grant’s Farm, the 281-acre ancestral
home of the Busch family, in St. Louis and at
the following Anheuser-Busch theme parks: Busch
Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., and Tampa, Fla.,
and at the SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando,
Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; and San Antonio, Texas.
Clydesdale Operations
Based in St. Louis, Clydesdale Operations is
responsible for maintaining and scheduling the
five traveling hitches. Events are typically
sponsored in part by the local Anheuser-Busch
wholesalers and thousands of requests for the
“gentle giants” are received each
year. Each request is evaluated on the type
of event, dates, history of appearances in that
particular area and other input from Anheuser-Busch
management representatives.
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Stables
The official home of the Budweiser Clydesdales
is an ornate brick and stained-glass stable built
in 1885 on the historic 100-acre Anheuser-Busch
brewery complex in St. Louis. The building is
one of three located on the brewery grounds that
are registered as historic landmarks by the federal
government.
Handlers
Expert grooms travel on the road with the hitch.
They are on the road at least 10 months every
year. When necessary, one handler has night duty
to provide round-the-clock care for the horses,
ensuring their safety and comfort.
Transport
Ten horses, the famous red, white and gold beer
wagon and other essential equipment are transported
in three 50-foot tractor-trailers. Cameras in
the trailers (with monitors in the cabs) enable
the drivers to keep a watchful eye on their precious
cargo during transport. The team stops each night
at local stables so the “gentle giants”
can rest. Air-cushion suspension and thick rubber
flooring in the trailers ease the rigors of traveling.
Drivers
Driving the 12 tons of wagon and horses requires
quite a bit of strength and skill. The 40 pounds
of reins the driver holds, plus the tension of
the reins, equals 75 pounds. All hitch drivers
are put through a rigorous training period before
they are given the reins.
Harness
Each harness and collar weighs approximately 130
pounds. The harness is handcrafted from brass
and leather. Pure linen thread is used for the
stitching. The harness is made to fit any horse,
but the collars come in different sizes and must
be individually fitted like a suit of clothes.
Names
Duke, Captain, Mark and Bud are just a few of
the names given to the Budweiser Clydesdales.
Names are kept short to make it easier for the
driver to give commands to the horses during a
performance.
Horseshoes
Clydesdale horseshoes measure more than 20 inches
from end to end and weigh about 5 pounds –
more than twice as long and five times as heavy
as the shoe worn by a riding horse. A horse’s
hoof is made of a nerveless, horn-like substance
similar to the human fingernail, so being fitted
for shoes affects the animal no more than a manicure
affects people.
Wagon
Turn-of-the-century beer wagons have been meticulously
restored and are kept in excellent repair. The
wagons are equipped with two braking systems:
a hydraulic pedal device that slows the vehicle
for turns and descents down hills, and a hand
brake that locks the rear wheels when the wagon
is at a halt.
Dalmations
Dalmatians have traveled with the Clydesdale hitch
since the 1950s. The Dalmatian breed long has
been associated with horses and valued for their
speed, endurance and dependable nature. Dalmatians
were known as coach dogs, because they ran between
the wheels of coaches or carriages and were companions
to the horses. Today, the Dalmatians are perched
atop the wagon, seated next to the driver.
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