Budweiser's Famous Horses Roll Into Abingdon

ABINGDON, Va. – Even before their official debut today, the Budweiser Clydesdales drew a crowd.

Throughout Tuesday afternoon, as the team of world-renowned draft horses and their handlers set up near the Farmers Market Pavilion, folks wanting an up-close look left their offices, wandered over and marveled at the large animals.

“I looked out the window, and I saw the excitement and the horses, and so I gathered everybody and we came across the street to see it,” said U.S. District Judge James P. Jones, whose courthouse sits across Cummings Street from the pavilion. “I think they’re great. I’m only sorry we have to go back to work.”

Gary Lester, a financial adviser at Highlands Union Bank, said he walked over to see the Clydesdales because he “wanted to see how big they were and kind of also to look at the operation and how they transport them. It looks like it’s first class.”

The three tractor-trailers used to move the horses and their equipment arrived on Remsburg Drive around 1 p.m. Tuesday, and the stalls were set up in the market pavilion before the horses were unloaded.

“A lot of people, they only see them on TV … but this is like the real deal right here in your hometown,” said handler Amy Trout, who said this team travels across the East Coast. “We actually like coming to the small rural communities the best, because this is the big thing happening in town and they love it.”

The appearance of the Clydesdales was timed to coincide with the Virginia Highlands Festival, which ends Sunday.

Clydesdales were originally bred along the river Clyde in Scotland, Trout said, to carry knights into battle in Medieval times, serving “sort of like the original tank.”

People later realized the horses were valuable for their 5 mph walking speed and their ability to haul twice their body weight, she said – qualities that quickly became prized by anyone whose business depended on fast movement of perishable goods.

Clydesdales also were used for farm work, though motorized equipment later replaced their use in agriculture.

“When you look at the Clydesdales, you’re looking at the exact same type of horses that you would’ve seen in the ’30s,” she said. “This is quality. This is tradition.”

The animals made their Budweiser beer wagon debut in 1933, with delivery of the first post-Prohibition case of beer to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said Hans Jager, a supervisor for the horses.

“Most people are just in awe, just for the simple fact that it’s an American icon,” Jager said when asked why they drew so much attention Tuesday.

With the horses was Barley, a Dalmation who serves as their mascot, Jager said.

“The dog’s role, back many, many, many years ago, he used to walk next to the horses and guard the horses and the cargo,” Jager said. “Now he’s got it made; now he rides.”

John Manis, of Walling Distributing Co. in Bristol, the local beer distributor involved in bringing the horses to town, said he’s glad local residents will have the opportunity to see them firsthand.

“You see them on TV, you see the commercials, especially around the holidays, but most people never get to see them live,” he said. “I’m just glad that people will have a chance to do that.”

Abingdon Farmers Market vendors, displaced from the pavilion by the horses, were set up in tents nearby – still unhappy but dealing with the situation, said vendor Anthony Flaccavento.

Myra Cook, tourism director for the town, said the horses’ visit is a good thing for Abingdon.

“We’re really enjoying it,” Cook said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything better to please the local people and the visitors than to bring the Budweiser Clydesdales to town.”

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