A baby Clydesdale just joined Budweiser’s storied herd of gentle giants.
The Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company announced Tuesday that Mac, the legendary family’s first foal of 2016, was born at Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Missouri, joining more than 160 other horses in the beer giant’s stable.
“Mac’s name is a nod to the iconic legacy of the Budweiser Clydesdales, the most macro of all icons, representing Budweiser’s quality for more than 80 years,” the company said in a statement.
Clydesdales date back to the early 1800s, when farmers along the River Clyde in Lanarkshire, Scotland, mated Great Flemish Horses with local mares, according to Anheuser-Busch.
The draft horses made their Budweiser debut more than a century later.
“On April 7, 1933, August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III surprised their father, August A. Busch Sr., with the gift of a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition,” according to the brewing company’s history. “Realizing the marketing potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, the company also arranged to have a second six-horse Clydesdale hitch sent to New York on April 7 to mark the event.
“The Clydesdales, driven by Billy Wales, drew a crowd of thousands as they clattered down the streets of New York City to the Empire State Building.”
Budweiser’s Clydesdale caretakers describe the horses as “gentle giants.” The adults must be at least six feet tall, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds and fit the classic appearance — snow white stockings, a white stripe down the face and a black mane and black tail, according to Anheuser-Busch.
“They’re big, they’re majestic, they’re regal and that never changes through time,” a narrator said during a 2013 Budweiser Super Bowl commercial.
The horses are given short names such as Bud, Captain and Duke, the brewing company said, so drivers can call out quick commands during showtime.
Over the decades, the Clydesdales have become the face of Budweiser — in person and, of course, in commercials, in which the horses are often seen pulling a beer wagon as the company’s jingle, “Here Comes the King,” plays.
As for Mac, the brewing company said the foal will remain at the Warm Springs Ranch Mac “while he learns the ins and outs of being a Budweiser Clydesdale.”
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