Iconic Budweiser Clydesdales are in town

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — Most folks would recognize them anywhere.

They’re the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales.

The giant draft horses are in town for the Defenders of Liberty Air Show on Barksdale Air Force Base, where they’ll be from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

[RELATED: Defenders of Liberty Air Show shows off amazing skills]

Before then, the Clydesdales are making a couple of community appearances.

The eight-horse hitch was harnessed and hitched to the famous red beer wagon at Kroger on Ellerbe Road in Shreveport from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 22.

Next, the giant draft horses are scheduled to be:

• at Brookshire’s, 4860 Airline Drive in Bossier City, from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, March 23, and then,

• at Louisiana Downs, 8000 E. Texas St. in Bossier City, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, March 24.

FUN FACTS

🐴 The Budweiser Clydesdales are nicknamed the “Gentle Giants.”

🐴 To be a Budweiser Clydesdale, a horse must:

be at least 3 years old
stand about 6 feet — approximately 18 hands – at the shoulder,
weigh an average of a ton (2,000 pounds),
be bay in color
have four white legs
have a blaze of white on the face and a black mane and tail, and,
have a gentle temperament.

🐴 On any given day, a single Clydesdale horse will consume as much as:

20-25 quarts of feed,
40-50 pounds of hay, and,
30 gallons of water.

🐴 The horses, which first appeared in the Super Bowl in 1975, are given short names such as Bud, Duke and Mark to make it easier for the driver to give commands to them during a performance.

🐴 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.

🐴 The Budweiser Clydesdales also can be viewed at the Anheuser-Busch breweries in St. Louis, Mo., at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and at Warm Springs Ranch, the 300-plus acre Clydesdale breeding farm near Boonville, Mo.

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