| Scientific
Classification History
and Distribution
Physical
Characteristics
Senses
Behavior
Diet and Eating Habitats
Birth and Care of Young
Longevity and
Causes of Death
The Anheuser-Busch
Clydesdale Teams
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- A. History
- The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were formally introduced to August A. Busch
Sr., President of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., by his son on April 7,
1933. Prohibition had just been repealed, and to commemorate the event, the hitch
thundered down Pestalozzi Street in St. Louis, carrying with it the first
case of post-Prohibition beer from the St. Louis Anheuser-Busch
brewery.
- B.
Dalmatians
- Dalmatian dogs have traveled with the hitch since the 1950s.
- 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. The black and white
spotted dogs were swift enough to keep up with the wagons, and their light colored bodies
and distinctive marking made them easy to see during twilight hours.
C. Hitches
- To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, an Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale
must be a gelding (neutered male) at least four years of age. He must be 18 hands
(6 ft. or 1.8 m); weigh between 1,800 to 2,000 lb. (817
- 907 kg); be bay in color; and have four white stocking feet, a blaze of white on
the face and a black mane and tail.
- Groups of ten Clydesdales travel together as a hitch team. Eight Clydesdales are hitched
together to pull the wagon. Two horses travel as alternates.
- 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 mos agile pair.
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