MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WJHL) — The world-famous eight-horse hitch known as the Budweiser Clydesdales will trot into Morristown Sept. 7 to make an appearance at the Food City on Sandstone Drive.
The harnessed horses will be hitched to a red beer wagon at the store from 4:30-6:30 p.m., Food City leaders announced Friday. The event marks one of hundreds made annually by the traveling horses.
Since 1933, the Clydesdales have remained a symbol of quality and tradition for the Anheuser-Busch brewing company. Hitches can be viewed at Anheuser-Busch breweries in St.Louis, Missouri; Merrimack, New Hampshire; Ft. Collins, Colorado; Grant’s Farm in St. Louis; and Warm Springs Ranch near Booneville, Missouri.
Budweiser Clydesdale candidates must be at least three years old and stand six feet tall, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, have four white legs and a blaze of white on the face with a black mane and tail. They must also have gentle temperaments, as they meet millions of people per year.
A single Clydesdale horse consumes 20-25 quarts of feed, 40-50 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water per day.
Each hitch travels with a Dalmatian, as the breed was originally bred to train and protect the horses and guard the wagon the driver went inside to make deliveries.
Canadians of Scottish descent first brought Clydesdales to America in the mid-1800s. Today, the horses are used mainly for breeding and show.
