A few weeks ago Mike Jerina and I traveled to Grant’s
Farm to visit some of our favorite customers – the Budweiser Clydesdales. It’s always great to play with these fabulous
animals, as well as check on the new arrivals from Warm Springs Ranch (the
Budweiser Clydesdale breeding farm in Boonville, Missouri) and say “good luck
and see you later!” to the boys heading to Merrimack, NJ, to start training for
their careers on one of the traveling hitches.
This last fall, several of my favorite boys headed to
Merrimack, including Austin and Preston.
Hopefully, they will both do great in their training and I’ll get to see
them pulling one of the wagons someday. Altogether,
seven horses headed east in the fall, and another four (at least) will be going
in the spring. Lester Nisley (head trainer of the Clydesdales) will be very
busy getting all of them ready!
 |
| Austin, when I first met him as a two year old. Hope to see him on a hitch! |
 |
| Axel (far left) and Preston (second from right) are now at Merrimack in training. Yes, I do kiss a lot of Clydesdales! How can I help it?? J |
As far as
nutrition, we make sure that all the horses going into training are
transitioned to performance diets prior to the trip to help reduce potential
stress from the changing environment. We
also make sure that they are maintaining appropriate body weight and condition
to prepare them for the trip to the East coast and the new work program they
will be starting. Once they arrive at
Merrimack and get adjusted to their new digs, they will begin Lester’s training
program. It’s a very different lifestyle
at the Merrimack facility compared to the leisure they all enjoyed at Grant’s
Farm!
Several weanlings (now yearlings) arrived this fall from
Warm Springs Ranch to spend the next few years growing and maturing at Grant’s
Farm. The babies are always fun to watch
and interact with. They are just like all equine youngsters – playful, inquisitive,
and energetic!
 |
| Madonna is telling Blueberry to get out of her picture, and Kelly is just hoping for a carrot! |
Our goal for the growing horses is to ensure that each
individual’s diet is appropriate to maintain body condition as well as provide
essential nutrients for optimal growth.
We want to give each youngster the best opportunity to become a member
of the Budweiser Clydesdale team, whether on one of the traveling hitches, or
as a broodmare back at Warm Springs Ranch.
