When Ornith and I were on Christmas vacation, we drove from Houston to Tallahassee and back. We geocached and waymarked the entire route (over 2,000 photos). We drove past this fiberglass horse several times but we were on the freeway and I was unable to obtain a decent photo, but didn't mention it. At the end of our trip, Ornith was driving down the freeway and mentioned he suddenly had a premonition that we should stop everything and "Visit our old friend, Dale, while we are in town." I had no idea who he was talking about, as I could not remember a Dale, but thought perhaps it was a person Ornith met in the military, or a geocacher. At any rate, he made a quick exit off the freeway, a few quick turns down unfamiliar roads and then suddenly parked......by this Clydesdale!!!!! Another waymark for me!
Below is some info copied from the Anheuser-Busch website:
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A Special Breed: (
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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.
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 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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A Brief History of the Icon: (
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THE BUDWEISER CLYDESDALES – MARVELS OF MAIN STREET
The scene has become a familiar one throughout the years. No parade is complete without the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, pulling a red, white and gold beer wagon down a Main Street that comes to life with the cheers and applause of onlookers.
It was in 1933, shortly after the signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act – effectively ending national Prohibition for beer – when the Budweiser Clydesdales became a part of Anheuser-Busch. August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III decided to present a hitch of the mighty horses to their father to commemorate the first bottle of post-Prohibition beer brewed in St. Louis.
Mr. Busch told his father that he had bought a new car and asked him to step outside and take a look at the new vehicle. But instead of a Model “T,” Mr. Busch’s father gazed upon a Clydesdale hitch pulling a red, white and gold beer wagon. The Budweiser Clydesdales were formally introduced to the nation on April 7, 1933 in St. Louis.
Realizing the advertising and promotional potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, the company had a second team sent by rail to New York City, where it picked up a case of Budweiser beer at New Jersey’s Newark Airport. The beer was later presented to Al Smith, former governor of New York and an instrumental force in the repeal of Prohibition. From there, the Clydesdales continued on a tour of New England and the Middle Atlantic States. The hitch even delivered a case of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at The White House.
During the initial years on the road, the Clydesdales were transported by train. Before truck transport was introduced in 1940, the horses, wagons and harness equipment had to be unloaded from the trains, put on local trucks and then unloaded again wherever the horses were stabled.
Now, the horses travel in style aboard custom-designed tractor-trailers. Their travels take them throughout North America and occasionally overseas.
The Clydesdales travel to hundreds of appearances each year to meet cheering crowds and happy faces. Whether they’re seen at a parade in Iowa or a rodeo in Texas, the Clydesdales are always a crowd pleaser. The Clydesdale hitches travel some 100,000 miles a year, and with each mile they cover, so continues the Anheuser-Busch tradition.