A Horse is a Horse Unless, of Course, It’s a Clydesdale

Being the horse lover I am, I decided to make a stop and check out these amazing horses.

To see these horses up close and personal is breathtaking and a little overwhelming because of their size.

I had a chance to visit with Todd Radermacher, assistant supervisor of the West Coast Clydesdales, and he gave me a quick history lesson about the horses.

The Budweiser Clydesdales have been around for 82 years. They got their start in 1933 when August Bush presented his dad with the horses at the end of Prohibition.

The horses were used to  deliver a case of beer to the governor of New York and also to the White House, and that was the beginning of the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.

There are three traveling teams of the Budweiser Clydesdales; the team that is in town is the West Coast team from Fort Collins, Colo.

Radermacher said they travel with 10 horses and use eight of them to pull the wagon.

The horses are generally in service 12 to 15 years, according to Radermacher,. They start their service when they are about 4 to 5 years old.

Interesting enough they only have male horses on the team.  I,of course, jokingly mentioned that seemed a little sexist.

On average, these horses are 18 hands tall and weigh about 2,000 pounds.

I watched as they were shoeing one of the horses and Radermacher said it takes about 20 to 22 inches of steel to make one horse shoe.

Not to be outdone by the horses, let's not forget about the Dalmatian that sits proudly on the seat with the driver.

Chip is the Dalmation that is here this time around. I wasn't able to snap a photo of Chip; he was being a little shy, I guess. But I did snap a photo of this little lady who is in training to take over the front seat when Chip retires.

You can see the Budweiser Clydesdales daily throughout MontanaFair in the MetraPark arena.

You may spot them out and about as they will be delivering a case of beer to a lucky sweepstakes winner here in Billings.

You can also see them during the Yellowstone River Roundup PRCA Rodeo in the Grandstands.