The Budweiser Clydesdales in will be in
July 16, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff
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If you have ever had the interest in seeing the gentle giants of the horse family, the Budweiser Clydesdales,
The Clydesdales visit to
According to
Mr. Ruchlewicz advises that: “Beginning about 12:30 p.m., the magnificent Clydesdales will travel down
“They will make a right onto
“They will then travel down
For a cute video (Budweiser commercial) featuring a baby Clydesdale, click here.
There are six “hitches” - eight-horse teams of Clydesdales - which pull a red, white and gold 1903 Studebaker-built beer wagon. Five of the hitches are traveling hitches. The hitch that will be visiting
The tradition of the Clydesdales began as a celebration of the repeal of Prohibition on April 7, 1933, when August A. Busch Jr. had the team of horses ceremonially deliver the first case of post-Prohibition beer from the
Published reports reflect: “Realizing the advertising and promotional potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, Mr. Busch had the team sent by rail to
From there, the Clydesdales continued on a tour of New England and the
Over 70 years later, the tradition continues as the “Clydesdale hitches travel some 100,000 miles a year…”
The especially large breed of horses traces its beginnings in the early 1800s in
Today, Clydesdales have evolved to a horse that is six foot tall (18 hands) at the shoulder and weigh approximately one ton each – between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds.
To qualify to be a Budweiser Clydesdale, 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,” according to promotional accounts.
And oh, a Clydesdale’s horseshoe measures more than 20 inches from end to end and weighs about five pounds.
They eat two meals a day, which includes 20 to 25 quarts of feed, 50 to 60 pounds of hay and up to 30 gallons of water.
When they arrive in
The Clydesdales will probably be accompanied by one or more Dalmatians, which have traveled with the horses since the 1950s.
In the early days, the Dalmatians “were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went inside to make deliveries. The black-and-white spotted dogs were swift enough to keep up with the wagons, and their light-colored bodies and markings made them easier to see during the twilight hours.”
I’ll see ya in
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Kevin Dayhoff writes from
E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org
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