Budweiser Clydesdales to join local Mardi Gras parades

By Melanie LeCroy, Lifestyle Editor
Posted 1/28/22

The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to town to join in on the Mardi Gras celebrations. This will be the horses' fourth appearance locally since 2016. This year, revelers will have the …

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Budweiser Clydesdales to join local Mardi Gras parades

The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales will be on the Gulf Coast to participate in four Mardi Gras parades. The clydesdales will be making their fourth appearance since 2016.
The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales will be on the Gulf Coast to participate in four Mardi Gras parades. The clydesdales will be making their fourth appearance since 2016.
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The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to town to join in on the Mardi Gras celebrations. This will be the horses' fourth appearance locally since 2016. This year, revelers will have the opportunity to see the clydesdales in four different parades.

The Budweiser Clydesdales have an interesting history. The original six-horse clydesdale hitch was a gift to August A. Busch Sr. in April 1933 from his sons August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition.

According to Anheuser-Busch history, Busch realized the marketing potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon and sent a second six-horse hitch to New York to mark the end of Prohibition. The clydesdales drew a large crowd as they made their way through New York City to the Empire State Building. The team was increased to an eight-horse hitch shortly after it was first introduced. The dalmatian mascot was added in the 1950s.

The Budweiser Clydesdales are hard to miss as each must stand 6 feet at the shoulder, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds and be a gelding of at least 4-years-old. These gentle giants must also be bay in color, have four white stocking feet, a blaze of white on the face and a black mane and tail.

Today, three eight-horse hitch teams travel the United States 300 days a year. It takes a lot of equipment and people to transport each hitch team: three tractor trailers, a transport van, 10 clydesdales, two dalmatians, seven handlers, eight sets of harness and one iconic Budweiser wagon.

The 10 clydesdale ride in 50-foot tractor-trailers are equipped with air-cushion suspension and thick rubber flooring to keep them comfortable. Cameras, with monitors in the cabs, enable the drivers to keep a watchful eye on the clydesdales during transport.