(MO SF) The World renowned Budweiser Clydesdales are returning to the 2019 Missouri State Fair, Aug 8-18. The eight-horse hitch will be harnessed and hitched to the famous red beer wagon at the Clydesdale tent on the fairgrounds one hour previous each scheduled parade. On Friday Aug. 16 and Sat. August 17 the horses will open the popular draft horse show in the Exhibition Center at 6 p.m.

The Clydesdales’ appearance in Sedalia is one of hundreds made annually by the traveling hitches. Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to America in the mid-1800’s today, the giant draft horses are used primarily for breeding and show.

Horses chosen for the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch must be at least three years of age, stand approximately 18 hands at the shoulder, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, must be bay in color, have four white legs, and a blaze of white on the face and black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is also very important as hitch horses meet millions of people each year.

Each hitch travels with a Dalmatian as they were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon when the driver went inside to make deliveries.

The Budweiser Clydesdales can be viewed at the Anheuser-Busch breweries in St. Louis, Mo.; Merrimack, N.H.; and Ft. Collins, Colo. They also may be viewed at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and at Warm Springs Ranch, the 300-plus acre Clydesdale breeding farm located near Boonville, Mo.

You can learn more about the history of the Clydesdales from the specialists at Budweiser and Warm Springs Ranch, Aug. 8-18, at the 2019 Missouri State Fair, in Sedalia.