• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Recreation / Entertainment / Clydesdales part of State Fair Parade

Clydesdales part of State Fair Parade

August 7, 2008 By admin

The 11-day run of the 2008 Iowa State Fair kicked off last night with the annual parade through downtown Des Moines. One of the crowd favorites was the impressive Budweiser Clydesdales. The 8-team hitch will parade around the fairgrounds every day of the fair between 2 and 4 p.m., pulling the familiar red brewery wagon.

Handler Loren Knoche says the animals are tremendous in terms of both size and strength. "These guys average about 2,000 pounds and about 18 hands tall," Knoche said. "They’re really gentle giants, but they’re still animals." Each horse consumes 50 to 60 pounds of hay per day.

The Anheuser-Busch Company introduced the Budweiser Clydesdales in 1933 to celebrate the end of prohibition. Knoche says only certain horses are selected for an 8-team hitch. The ideal Clydesdales are brown in color, with a black main, a blaze of white on the face and white feathering on all four legs and feet. The most important feature, however, is a calm personality.

"These guys are really docile as a breed, but we’re around these guys nearly 24/7 and the disposition is a must," Knoche said. Clydesdales were brought to North America in 1842 and were used for delivery transportation until they were replaced by trucks at the turn of the century. Another signature piece of the Budweiser Clydesdale team is the Dalmatian dog. Knoche’s dog is named Bud.

"Actually when they did deliver beer in the old days, they did have a dog on the wagon to protect the horses, plus the cargo when the driver was in delivering the beer," Knoche explained. There are six traveling Clysdale teams based around the U.S. that appear in 500 events a year. Knoche’s crew is based in St. Louis.  

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Recreation / Entertainment

Featured Stories

Summit has easements for 20% of carbon pipeline route through Iowa

Morel mushroom hunters on hold without warmer conditions

Trinity Health aquiring all MercyOne health properties

Field of Dreams site developer wants to bid on state baseball, softball tournaments

Governor gets bill targeting Iowa bars deemed ‘public safety nuisance’

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

T.J. Otzelberger announces staff changes at Iowa State

Iowa State adds transfer guard

Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter enters transfer portal

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC