Clydesdales At Christmas! Celebrating The Gentle Giants!

No horse breed represents Christmas more than the Clydesdale! Maybe it’s because of the wonderful Budweiser commercials we’ve all enjoyed over the years, or their beauty as they pull wagons bearing gifts of the holiday season that delight us!

All About Clydesdales

The Clydesdale horse was originally developed in Scotland, in the Clyde valley after which they are named. Flemish stallions were imported to mate with local draft mares in the 18th century, with the first use of the word “Clydesdale” as a horse breed recorded in 1826. After this, Shire blood was introduced in the 19th century; and a breed society was introduced in 1877. They were then exported to Australia, New Zealand, and America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Hard Working Horses

They were used primarily for farm work…

and to work on World Wars l and ll battlefields, where the breed experienced heavy losses. By the 1970s the Clydesdale horse breed found itself listed as “At Risk” with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust – a status which endures to this day and means that there are fewer than 1500 breeding mares of the Clydesdale horse breed.

Vital Statistics

 

The Clydesdale stands 16 to 18 hands, with the average being 16.2, and weighs 1,500 -2,200 pounds. The biggest Clydesdale on record is Remington from the USA, who measured 20 hands in 2009 and was once the tallest living horse in the world. Clydesdales generally live to be 25 to 30 years old.

 

Versatile

Besides their beauty and gentle nature, the Clydesdale is celebrating versatility on the trail and in the show ring.

 

 

 

Acting Up!

Nothing has made the Clydesdale breed more endearing than the Budweiser beer commercials. After skipping  Superbowl ads featuring the Clydesdales and their Yellow Lab puppy friend, fan pressure convinced them to come to their senses and revive the iconic team for Superbowl 2024.

(Was that Poppy?)

Merry Christmas to all of our Barngoddess friends!