Budweiser Clydesdales returning to Wayne County Fair

They’re the most recognizable eight-hitch horse team in the world, and this year the Budweiser Clydesdales are one of the Wayne County Fair’s biggest attractions.

The team will make its appearance for a free show at the grandstand on Thursday, Sept. 11 from 4-6 p.m., immediately followed by a parade around the grounds, according to fair manager Jerrod Snell. On Wednesday, Sept. 10 and Thursday, Sept. 11, the horses will rest in the parking lot of the Buckeye Agricultural Museum across the street from the fairgrounds.

Visitors who want an up-close look should use gate four to cross the street, Snell said, and may return to the grounds by showing their hand stamps.

The Clydesdales last appeared at the fair in 2008, and Snell said there has been a demand for their return ever since. Getting them to the 2025 fair took years of asking, he said. "(This year) the logistics kind of worked for them, and thankfully, it worked out this year.”

Other local appearances by the team include Sept. 12 from 4-6 p.m. at the Bellville Street Fair and Sept. 14 from 3-5 p.m. at the Ashland County Fair. There also is an opportunity for pictures with a single horse at The Brickyard in Mansfield on Sept. 10 from 5-7 p.m.

Did you know?

—Horses chosen for the hitch must be at least 3 years old, stand approximately 6 feet at the shoulder, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, be bay in color, have four white legs, a blaze of white on the face, and a black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is a must.

—Canadians of Scottish descent brought the breed to America in the mid-1800s.

—Today, Clydesdales are generally used for breeding and show.

—A single Clydesdale will consume as much as 25 quarts of feed, 50 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water each day.

—The Budweiser Clydesdales were christened in 1933. The initial six-horse hitch was a gift to August Busch Sr. from his sons August Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III to mark the repeal of Prohibition.

—At the same time, a second six-horse hitch was sent to New York’s Empire State Building, where a case of Budweiser was presented to New York Gov. Alfred Smith as a thanks for his work on repealing Prohibition.

—The team’s next stop was Washington, D.C. to reenact the delivery of one of the first cases of Budweiser to President Franklin Roosevelt.

—Shortly after the Clydesdales were introduced, the hitch increased from six to eight horses.

—In 1950 the horses were joined by a Dalmatian. A dog now travels with each hitch as its mascot.

—Each of the horses’ harnesses and collars weigh 130 pounds.

—The horses are given short names, like Bud, Mark and Duke, to make it easier for the driver to give commands.

—The Clydesdales’ horseshoes measure more than 20 inches end to end and weigh about 5 pounds.

—The red and gold beer wagons are equipped with two braking systems: a hydraulic pedal that slows it for turns and downhill descents and a handbrake that locks the rear wheels to assure the wagon is stopped.

—The Clydesdales reside at the Anheuser-Busch breweries in St. Louis for public viewing, but visitors also can see them at the Warm Springs Ranch, the breeding establishment in Boonville, Missouri.

—The hitch first appeared at the Super Bowl in 1975 and has appeared in numerous Super Bowl commercials since that time.