Budweiser Clydesdales

On Wednesday, March 28 from 2-4pm the Budweiser Clydesdale will make a visit to Dayton. Transportation for each hitch requires three 50-foot semis that are essentially barns on wheels. Several professional handlers accompany each team. Often, one handler has night duty to provide round-the-clock care for the horses. Two carry the horses, the third transports a red, white and gold beer wagon and other equipment. Groups of ten Clydesdales travel together as a hitch team. Eight Clydesdales are hitched together to pull the wagon. Two horses travel as alternates.They also haul all the supplies, from grooming kits and basic veterinary supplies to portable stalls and farrier supplies. The only thing they don’t haul with them is feed, which is shipped separately to wherever their next stop will be. Cameras in the trailers (with monitors in the cabs) enable the drivers to keep a watchful eye on their precious cargo during transport. The physical ability of each horse determines its position in the hitch. Wheelhorses (the pair closest to the wagon) must be large and strong enough to start the wagon’s movement and to use their weight to help slow or stop the vehicle.The body (second position) and swing (third position) pairs must be agile to turn the wagon. The leaders (the pair in front, furthest from the wagon) must be the fastest and most agile pair. The Budweiser Clydesdales’ traveling hitches are on tour 10-11 months out of the year!

Schedule for Dayton Visits:

Here’s the schedule, with is totally weather dependent. The hitch cannot travel in rain/inclement weather.

2pm – 2:20pm
Hitch will travel from parking lot by University of Dayton Marriott (1414 S. Patterson Blvd. Dayton, OH 45409) via Main St. and Springhouse Rd. to Sunoco Brown St.

2:20 – 3pm
Sunoco (1927 Brown St. Dayton, OH 45409)

3pm – 3:30pm
Deliveries of Budweiser made to:
The Pine Club (1926 Brown St. Dayton, OH 45409)
Buffalo Wild Wings (1900 Brown St. Dayton, OH 45409)
Milanos (1834 Brown St. Dayton, OH 45409)
Timothy’s (1818 Brown St. Dayton, OH 45409)

3:30-4pm
Hitch will travel from Brown St. to Caldwell St., back to the parking lot by the University of Dayton Marriott

The first team of Budweiser Clydesdales came on the scene in 1933. They were a gift celebrating the end of Prohibition from August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch to their father. Recognizing the advertising and promotional potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, Busch, Sr. had the team sent by rail to New York City, where it picked up two cases of Budweiser beer at New Jersey’s Newark Airport, and presented it 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 Mid-Atlantic States, a journey that included the delivery of a case of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House.

Heidelberg Distributing confirmed that The Budweiser Clydesdales have made it to Dayton to make some special appearances around town.

On April 7, 1933, 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.

Shortly after the hitch was introduced, the six-horse Clydesdale team was increased to eight. On March 30, 1950, in commemoration of the opening of the Newark Brewery, a Dalmatian was introduced as the Budweiser Clydesdales’ mascot. Now, a Dalmatian travels with each of the Clydesdale hitches. Today, Anheuser-Busch owns approximately 250 Clydesdales; they continue to be an enduring symbol of the brewer’s heritage, tradition and commitment to quality.

These majestic horses are scheduled to make several appearances in the area October 6 through 8, including:

Thursday, October 6 – Dayton Children’s Hospital, 10:30am, Noon; One Horse on display near the Main Entrance

Friday, October 7 – Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, noon – 2pm in the North Parking Lot; Whole Hitch on display – open to all ages

Saturday, October 8 – Speedway Store Grand Opening at 90 N. Xenia Drive in Enon, 10:30 – 11:30am; Whole Hitch on display

Facts About the Clydesdales:

To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat,four white legs,a white blaze, and a black mane and tail.

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.

Expert groomers travel on the road with the hitch. They are on the road at least 10 months every year. When necessary, one handler provides around-the-clock care for the horses, ensuring their safety and comfort.

There are eight horses driven at any one time, but ten horses are on each team to provide alternates for the hitch when needed. Each hitch travels with a Dalmatian. In the early days of brewing, Dalmatians were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went inside to make deliveries.

Transportation for each hitch requires three 50-foot semis. Two carry the horses, the third transports a red, white and gold beer wagon and other equipment.

Clydesdale horseshoes measure more than 20 inches from end to end and weigh about 5 pounds which is more than twice as long and five times as heavy as the shoe worn by a light horse. A horse’s hoof is made of a nerveless, horn-like substance similar to the human fingernail so being fitted for shoes affects the animal no more than a manicure affects people.

The Clydesdale’s Are Coming

The Clydesdales Are In Town