Today, Ladybug and I went on a Clydesdale tour at Grant’s Farm:

We met several famous horses, including Rudy, who is known for the 9-11 Budweiser commercial, and Pedro and Peewee, who have appeared in the last three Super Bowl commercials (and probably the next one, too). We also learned quite a bit about the differences between these horses. Rudy is a retired hitch horse, and because of his large size, was one of the wheel horses, which is the pair closest to the wagon. There are also body, swing, and lead horses (working from the wagon forward), and they are not all interchangeable…each horse has a specific job! Pedro and Peewee, on the other hand, while having the right look, weren’t big enough for the hitch, so their job is to be Budweiser stars!

We learned a lot about the horses in general, and which ones are chosen for the hitch. In order to pull the wagon, a horse needs to be between 18-20 hands high, have a black mane and tail, a dark brown body, white lower legs, and a white face. Also, the right personality is a must! Ladybug is definitely NOT 18 hands high!

We got to walk through the main barn, which used to be the foaling barn:

We also saw a sled like the ones used in New Jersey when the horses learn how to pull for the first time:

Their hooves are huge…we saw evidence of this in their prints on the ground, and in one of the shoes we got to hold…it weighs five pounds!

We also got see the show and practice tack. The show tack weighs a combined total of 130 pounds!

While we were on our tour, Ryan and the rest of the children had fun walking around Grant’s Farm, going to an animal encounter, (where Turkey got to hold a python), and riding the carousel:

And we all enjoyed seeing how beautiful Grant’s Farm is in the fall!

Today was a very fun day, and we all had a good time at one of our favorite St. Louis area locations!