Clydesdale Horse history

Did you know the heavy draught horse known as the Clydesdale Horse was Scottish? I didn’t. In the 18th Century Flemish stallions were imported to Scotland. There was a district system of hiring stallions who won the best in breed shows and the winning stallions were expected to breed to the local mares in Scotland and England. The area where they were founded was called Clydesdale, an archaic name for Lanarkshire. Within Lanarkshire is a river called River Clyde and it flows through Glasgow. Just imagine Clydesdale Horses hauling heavy carts full of coal  on the Glasgow streets. 

In 1826 the 1st recorded use of the name Clydesdale was in an exhibition in Glasgow. The Clydesdale Horse Society was formed in 1877 and the American Clydesdale Association on December 4th 1879.

Clydesdale War horse

During the first World War thousands of horses were taken to be used for the war. Numbers declined in the Clydesdale horse population to just 80 breeding stallions in England in 1949. Thankfully in 1975 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust considered the Clydesdale horse vulnerable to extinction and population numbers increased.  

 


"He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless."

Isaiah 40:29

Clydesdale Horse Characteristics

  • Hight- 16h-18h
  • Weight- 1,700lbs- 2,000lbs
  • Color- Bay, Black, Brown, Roans
  • Feathered feet

                                                              Clydesdale Horse Uses


Clydesdale Horses are very calm and easy to train. Although they were originally used for agriculture, and hauling heavy loads of coal, they are still used for farm work, logging and driving. They are ridden in horse shows for pleasure and participate in lead line and harness events. They most iconic Clydesdale horses can be recognized in Budweiser Brewery commercials. 

Budweiser Clydesdale Horses

On April 7, 1933 August A. Busch, Jr gifted his father with a team of Clydesdales hitched up to a red, white and gold wagon to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. That wagon was the first to carry beer post-Prohibition from the St. Louis brewery to Pestalozzi Street in St. Louis. The team then went on tour to New York to deliver cases then off to England. They even delivered a case of water to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House.

The Budweiser breeding program is very strict and has influenced the breed in the United States. All Clydesdale horses must be bay with a white blaze, their mane and tail must be black and all four legs must have white stockings. Warm Springs Ranch is the breeding farm of the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses. To learn more about the 300 acre in Boonsville, Missouri visit the Warms Springs Ranch website. Want a FREE coloring page? Click HERE to get yours. You will be able to look at some beautiful pictures of the farm and on that same page you will see 3 different coloring pages. Ever wonder what happens to the Clydesdale horses when they are ready to work? They move on to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery complex in St. Louis. To learn more about their journey go to Budweisertours.com to learn more.