Budweiser Clydesdales Return to the 2019 Missouri State Fair

The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales are scheduled to appear at the 2019 Missouri State Fair.

The Missouri State Fair says the eight-horse hitch will be harnessed and hitched to the famous red beer wagon at the Clydesdale tent, east of the Mathewson Exhibition Center on the fairgrounds, one hour previous to each scheduled parade.

On Friday Aug. 16 and Sat. August 17 the “Gentle Giants,” will open the popular Draft Horse show in the Exhibition Center at 6:00 p.m.

The Clydesdales’ appearance in Sedalia is one of hundreds made annually by the traveling hitches. Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to America in the mid-1800’s. 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 of age, stand approximately 18 hands – or six feet – at the shoulder, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, must be bay in color, have four white legs, and a blaze of white on the face and black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is very important as hitch horses meet millions of people each year, according to MSF.

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, Colorado. They can also be viewed at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and at Warm Springs Ranch, which is a 300+ acre Clydesdale breeding farm located near Boonville.