Philip Sparn | ClarksvilleNow.com
psparn@ClarksvilleNow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – People from all over the area visited the legendary Budweiser Clydesdales at the 4-H Arena on Tuesday.
The historic Budweiser Clydesdales are stabled at the 4-H Arena while they are being featured at several local holiday celebrations this week, including Clarksville’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday. Another public viewing at the 4-H arena is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A one-horse show is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Wal-Mart in Oak Grove, Ky. from 3-5 p.m. Another single horse show will take place at Fort Campbell’s Lighting of the Christmas Tree Thursday, Dec. 5 from 4-6 p.m. A full hitch show will be held Friday, Dec. 6 from 3-5 p.m. at Fort Campbell’s Main PX.
The Budweiser Clydesdales will finish out their week in Clarksville in grand fashion on Saturday when they lead the 54th Annual Clarksville Christmas Parade at 5 p.m. Find more information about Clarksville’s annual Christmas parade here.
The iconic full hitch consists of eight Clydesdales pulling a turn-of-the-century beer wagon. The combined weight of the wagon, hitch and horses is an estimated 12 tons. While eight pull the vintage Budweiser Wagon, ten Clydesdales travel with the team to give all the horses sufficient rest.
The Clydesdales average 18 hands tall, which is an estimated six feet tall at their shoulders. The draft horses average 2,000 to 2,300 pounds. The Budweiser Clydesdales range from 5-15 years-old and they pull the Budweiser hitch around 10 years before they are retired.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are well taken care of by a staff of 7 full-time handlers. The handlers work around the clock to monitor the horses and provide a comfortable environment for them. 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.
The horses are trimmed and groomed frequently and they are equipped with special shoes that protect their feet from the concrete and elements.
“It is great to work with such a great group of horses,” said Budweiser Clydesdales Horse Handler Metzger. “It is cool to get to travel the country, meet different people and go to a lot of cool events, while representing the legacy and tradition of Budweiser.”
The legendary history of the Budweiser Clydesdales started in 1933 when August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch III surprised their father, August A. Busch, Sr., with the gift of a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition.
The hitch traveled across the country delivering Budweiser beer to celebrate the end of prohibition. The Clydesdales even made a stop in Washington D.C. to reenact the delivery of one of the first cases of Budweiser to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The Budweiser Clydesdales team now travels across the country around 10 months out of the year to help represent Budweiser‘s commitment to tradition. The official home of the Budweiser Clydesdales is on a 100-acre Anheuser-Busch brewery complex in St. Louis.
Photos by Philip Sparn | ClarksvilleNow.com
Photos by Philip Sparn | ClarksvilleNow.com