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The
World-Famous Budweiser Clydesdales:
A Special Breed Is Born
A look into the rich, colorful history of the
special Clydesdale breed begins in the early
19th century, along the River Clyde in Lanarkshire,
Scotland.
The region, located in a valley, or “dale,”
was known for its rich soil and abundant crops.
The farmers were in great need of strong horses
for hauling, plowing and carting all the necessary
farm equipment and workers.
One of the Dukes of Hamilton, a local, wealthy
landowner, imported to the region six Great
Flemish Horses, a breed that already had been
regularly shipped to Scotland to be used as
war horses and for farm work.
The Duke made his six prize horses available
for breeding to local mares, and the Clydesdale
breed was born.
People from outside Lanarkshire began to refer
to the big, powerful horses as “the Clydesman’s
horse,” a name that eventually became
“Clydesdale.”
The early Clydesdales quickly garnered attention
as a breed more powerful than any breed available
before. The horses were said to be capable of
pulling loads of more than a ton at a walking
speed of five miles an hour.
It was the breed’s hauling power and confident
style that attracted North Americans to the
Clydesdale breed. In fact, in the early days
of brewing, it was said that a brewer’s
success was directly related to how far his
draft horses could pull a load in one day.
Today’s Budweiser Clydesdales are even
bigger than their Scottish ancestors. To qualify
for the world-famous, eight-horse hitch, a Budweiser
Clydesdale must meet certain requirements. Size,
color and disposition are the important considerations.
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Standing at 18 hands high (about 6 feet) at
the shoulder when fully mature, Budweiser Clydesdales
weigh approximately 2,000 pounds. They must
be geldings, bay in color, have four white stockings
and a blaze of white on the face, as well as
a black mane and tail. A gentle temperament
also is important, as hitch horses meet millions
of people each year.
In two daily meals, a Budweiser Clydesdale hitch
horse will consume 20 to 25 quarts of feed,
50 to 60 pounds of hay and up to 30 gallons
of water.
Once a Clydesdale is selected to be among the
chosen few to travel with one of the company’s
five traveling eight-horse hitches, he can expect
to spend many of his days on the road, performing
at hundreds of events each year.
The Clydesdales travel in a style befitting
a king. In order to provide rest for each of
the eight “first-string” horses,
the Clydesdale hitch teams always travel with
a total of 10 “gentle giants.”
The traveling caravan also includes three 50-foot
tractor-trailers, custom-built for the horses
with rubber flooring, air suspension and vent
fans to ease the rigors of hours on the road.
Two tractor-trailers carry the Clydesdales and
a third takes everything else – the historic
beer wagon, harnesses and other gear.
Performance days for a Budweiser Clydesdale
are a combination of excitement and perfection.
While the horses are groomed daily, special
attention is given to their appearance on performance
days.
The expert grooms who travel with the horses
spend about five hours washing and grooming
the horses, polishing the harnesses, braiding
red and white ribbons into the manes and inserting
red and white bows into the tails. The entire
harnessing process takes an additional 45 minutes.
Once the harnessing is completed, Clydesdales
are individually hitched to the red, white and
gold 1903 Studebaker-built beer wagon. The wheel
horses, those closest to the wagon (and generally
the strongest), are hitched up first.
Once all eight horses are hitched to the wagon,
the driver begins to adjust the reins. Driving
the 12 tons of wagon and horses requires strength,
experience and stamina. The 40 pounds of reins
the driver holds, plus the tension on the reins,
equals 75 pounds. During long parades, the driver
and the assistant often alternate the reins
in order to remain fresh and alert.
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