Budweiser Clydesdales Visit the Mid-South Fair October 3-4 The world famous Budweiser Clydesdales visited the Memphis area for the first time in many years with an exhibition at the Mid-South Fair, held at the Desoto Civic Center in Southhaven, Mississippi, September 25 through October 4. The eight-horse hitch with its red white and gold beer wagon thrilled the crowd at the PRCA Rodeo on October 3 and 4. Groomed, polished, and braded, the two teamsters, accompanied by their spotted Dalmatian, demonstrated the techniques of parking such a large hitch. They parallel parked the wagon and the eight 18-hand bay geldings with white flashing fetlocks performed a flawless turn on the forehand in unison, stopping at a 90 degree angle to the wagon, then repeating the maneuver in the other direction. The Budweiser Clydesdale hitch was originally a gift in 1933 from August A. Busch, Jr. to his father August Anheuser Busch, Sr., the president of Anheuser- Busch Brewing, to celebrate the end of prohibition. Busch quickly realized what a great promotion tool the hitch would be, touring the country, thrilling crowds. Today there are five touring hitches with ten horses each (eight performers and two alternates). The horses used for the hitch are all bay geldings with four white stockings and a blaze, standing at least 18 hands and being at least four years of age. Anheuser- Busch has been a driving force in the breeding of Clydesdales with mares and stallions at breeding farms in Missouri and California. They also purchase Clydesdales for hitch training and breeding. In all, Anheuser-Busch owns about 250 Clydesdales.