The Budweiser Clydesdales

The Famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses became a symbol of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company over 75 years ago. In April 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. presented his father, August A. Busch, Sr. with a team of six matching Clydesdale Horses pulling a red, white and gold beer wagon.

August A. Busch, Jr presented this team of horses to his father to commemorate the first bottle of post-Prohibition beer brewed at their brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. The wagon was loaded with two cases of Budweiser Beer from the brewery and the Clydesdale Team of Horses made a special journey down Pestalozzi Street in St. Louis in Missouri.

Clydesdale Horse & August A. Busch, Sr.
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Mr. Busch, Sr. then sent the Clydesdale Team to New York City by train where it picked up two more cases of beer at the New Jersey Airport. The two cases of beer were delivered and presented to Al Smith, former governor of New York, who was a leader in the Prohibition repeal process. The original team of Clydesdale Horses continued on a tour of New England and the Mid-Atlantic States before arriving in Washington, DC. The Clydesdale Team then delivered a case of beer to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House.

Trains initially transported the original Clydesdale Horses but in the 1940s they were introduced to transport by truck. Today, many of the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses are also used as animal actors in commercials and for promotions on and off the road. There are now five teams of Clydesdale Horses that continue to tour and promote the Budweiser Brand.

The Anheuser-Busch Company owns over 250 Clydesdales, one the largest Clydesdale herds in the world.

Some of the Clydesdale Horses are bred at two farms; one near Romoland, California and the other at Grant's Farm in St. Louis, Missouri. The Anheuser-Busch Company also buys additional Clydesdale Horses from private breeders.

The Budweiser Clydesdale Horses are kept at many stables including the two breeding farms and at the stables of three the Budweiser Breweries. The Budweiser Clydesdale Horses were previously kept at various theme parks formerly owned by the Anheuser-Busch Company until the theme parks were sold in 2009.

Many of the Clydesdale Horses are used an animal actors in commercials and for promotions on and off the road. The Budweiser Traveling Hitches travel around the USA making over 300 appearances every year. A Budweiser Clydesdale must meet certain qualifications before it can become one of the hitches of the Famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses.

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There are twelve Anheuser-Busch Breweries located throughout the USA but only five have complimentary tours of the breweries. These five breweries are located in Fairfield, California in the west, Fort Collins, Colorado in the north, St. Louis, Missouri in the Midwest, Merrimack, New Hampshire in the east and Jacksonville, Florida in the south.

Visitors can see the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses at stables located at three of the Anheuser-Busch Breweries. These breweries are located in Colorado, Missouri, and New Hampshire. There is also a breeding farm in St. Louis, Missouri and various theme parks and events where the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses can be seen throughout the year.

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The traveling hitches of Budweiser Clydesdale Horses travel in a caravan of three semi-trailers. Two semi-trailers house the horses and the other trailer carries the red Budweiser wagon with all of the equipment and supplies.

There are six hitches of horses but only five hitches (teams) that travel to various events in the USA and Canada. One of the six hitches stays at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery headquarters located in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 10 to 12 horses are on each team but only eight horses are used at one time to pull the wagon. The other horses on the team are rotated and used when needed or as replacements.

Trains initially transported the Clydesdale Horses but in the 1940s they were introduced to transport by truck. These beautiful modern semi-trailers are enhanced with special air-cushion suspension and thick rubber flooring. There are also cameras located in the semi-trailers so the drivers can watch the horses while they are being transported.

Many Professional Drivers and Handlers accompany the Budweiser Clydesdale Team and perform a variety of duties. Everyone must have good horse and people skills and have been around horses all their lives. One specific requirement is that everyone traveling with the team must have a professional drivers license.

Some of the duties a handler may have are caring for the horses on night duty, looking after the harnesses and equipment, or feeding and grooming the horses. It takes many handlers and many hours to organize and hitch-up a team of horses and get ready for an event. It's a big job caring for those Budweiser Clydesdale horses and all of their equipment!

Horse Health Care is very important and on the road is provided by the professional handlers. Local veterinarians and equine hospitals treat larger health problems. Home-based veterinarians located at different hitch locations provide preventative Health Care. A team of farriers provides foot care to the horses at various sites where you can see the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses.

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It's a big job organizing, polishing and caring for the harnesses and equipment.

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The Dalmatian is a loyal and active dog and is good around family and pets; especially horses.

Historically, the Dalmatian was used as a guide and watchdog during the days of horse-driven fire carts in the USA. The Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company also used Dalmatians to guard the horses and beer wagons while the driver stopped to make deliveries of crates of beer.

In 1950, Budweiser introduced the Dalmatian mascot as a companion and friend to the Clydesdale Team. Today, a well-trained Dalmatian is seen accompanying the team and sits along side the driver or on top of the Budweiser delivery wagon drawn by the Clydesdale Horses.

This friendly companion and mascot Dalmatian is also regularly seen with the famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses in all kinds of advertising. The Clydesdale Team is used in Budweiser commercials, parades, and in promotion materials for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.


Budweiser Clydesdale Horse Cart
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The Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company celebrated 75 years in 2008 since the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses were introduced to the public in 1933.

This Budweiser Clydesdale commemorative poster features the hitch of eight Clydesdale Horses pulling the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser wagon, and the two drivers with dalmatian mascot against a scenic mountain backdrop.


Anheuser-Busch 75th Anniversary
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Budweiser In Bottles - Tin Sign
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Budweiser Clydesdales - Tin Sign
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SOURCE CREDITS:
http://www.thehorse.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Clydesdales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anheuser%E2%80%93Busch_InBev


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