The beautiful draft horse breed is known above all for its high-performance and willingness to work. The strength of these horses, coupled with their friendly and easy-going nature, made them popular warhorses and workhorses in the 18th century that enjoyed great respect around the world.
Clydesdales are particularly energetic and have extreme endurance. Nevertheless, the horses are very elegant, spirited and have an expansive movement, especially for draft horses, which is why they are still popular show horses today.
They look very similar to the Shire Horse, but are smaller and narrower, making them lighter and more agile, making them great strong leisure horses as well. Her fans enjoy not only the zeal and athleticism of the horses, but also their loyal and friendly nature.
Incidentally, the powerful workhorses need horseshoes that are half a meter long. These weigh 2.5 kilograms – five times as much as the usual horseshoes of warm-blooded animals.
History of Clydesdale
Although the origin of the breed probably goes further back, the origin of the Clydesdales can only be traced back to the 18th century. Strong workhorses were needed, and so Scots probably bred strong native mares to tall Belgian and English stallions. The breed owes its name to the River Clyde, in whose valley it was first bred.
The beautiful and, above all, willing to workhorses quickly found favor outside of Scotland and were exported throughout Great Britain. It wasn’t long before it spread to countries as far away as the USA, Japan and Russia. The Shire Horse, which the Clydesdale looks very similar to, is also said to have been included in the breeding. The Clydesdale Horse Society was formed in 1877.
As more and more workhorses were replaced by machines in the mid-20th century, Clydesdale breeding, like breeding for most draft horse breeds, collapsed. The strong animals willing to work were used less and less and almost fell into oblivion.
Nevertheless, the horse breed continued to be popular, albeit on a smaller scale: in the USA, now the main breeding area of ​​the Clydesdale, the draft horses are popular show and brewery horses. The breed also serves as a mascot for the Budweiser beer brand.
Interesting and worth knowing
Clydesdale in Film and TV
In The Two Towers from The Lord of the Rings trilogy you can see some Clydesdales among the horses. During filming, New Zealanders and their horses were invited to take part in the shoot, and many New Zealanders responded. For the big battle scenes you needed a lot of people and their horses and some of them were Clydesdales or Clydesdale mixes: the draft horses can be seen during the battle scenes.
As already mentioned, the elegant draft horse breed is also the mascot of the Budweiser beer brand. The cold-blooded horses repeatedly play a major role in the brand’s commercials. The spots Brotherhood and Puppy Love in particular caused a stir. But Clydesdales also stand for Budweiser outside of television sets: the elegant horse breed always presents the beer brand’s wagons at shows.
How did the Clydesdales get this honor? When then-President Roosevelt lifted the ban on alcohol in the United States, the sons of the owner of the Anheuser-Busch brewery, which also produced Budweiser beer, presented him with six fine and award-winning Clydesdales. The team pulled three beer wagons behind them. Touched by the gift, he made the Clydesdales the brand’s mascot. The Budweiser Clydesdales even have their own mascot in the form of a Dalmatian who accompanies the Budweiser wagons.
