The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, the symbol of quality and tradition for Anheuser-Busch since 1933, are scheduled to make an appearance in downtown Greenville on Friday, November 23. The eight-horse hitch will be harnessed and hitched to the famous red beer wagon in the 200 block of North Main Street before parading down Main Street.
Event Schedule
12:30 p.m. Clydesdales arrive in the 200 block of North Main Street
12:30 – 2 p.m. Downtown visitors can enjoy up-close photo opportunities with the Clydesdales
2 p.m. Clydesdales trot down Main Street, stopping to deliver Budweiser product to several restaurants along the route
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Clydesdales make their final stop in front of United Community Bank Ice on Main for an additional photo opportunity with downtown visitors
The Greenville Police Department will minimize the impact to downtown traffic, maintaining a rolling road closure during the parade down Main Street.
The Clydesdales’ appearance in Greenville is one of hundreds made annually by the traveling hitches. Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to America in the mid-1800s. Today, the giant draft horses are used primarily for breeding and show.
Horses chosen for the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch must be at least three years old; stand approximately 18 hands (six feet) at the shoulder; weigh an average of 2,000 pounds; be bay in color; and have four white legs, a blaze of white on the face, and a black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is also important as hitch horses meet millions of people each year. A single Clydesdale hitch horse will consume as much as 20-25 quarts of feed, 40-50 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water per day.
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 can be viewed at the Anheuser-Busch breweries in St. Louis, Mo.; Merrimack, N.H.; and Ft. Collins, Colo. They can also be viewed at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and at Warm Springs Ranch, the 300-plus acre Clydesdale breeding farm located near Boonville, Mo.