VIDEO: Budweiser Clydesdales roll through Dewey

The Dewey Business Partnership hosted the second annual Budweiser Clydesdale Parade July 12. The theme of the event was The Great American Summer Celebration. The horses and their team began staging at 5 p.m. on Saulsbury Street. From there they made their way to the Starboard for a parade pre-party. Also on hand this year was the Quaker City String Band Mummers from Philadelphia.

After the pre-parade party, the Clydesdales made their way down Route 1, stopping for pictures in front of client storefront. The hitch then made its way to the Dickinson Avenue circle for an hour and ended the night at Van Dyke Avenue.

According to the official website, the original six-horse Clydesdale hitch was a gift in 1933 to former Anheuser-Busch President August Busch Sr. from his sons to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition. The hitch was increased to eight shortly after being introduced.

The website also says only the finest of Clydesdales become a part of the Budweiser team. To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, a gelding must be at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder, weigh 1,800 to 2,300 pounds, have a reddish-brown bay coat, four white legs, a white blaze, and a black mane and tail. Each horse consumes up to 20 to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water per day. Each Clydesdale harness and collar weighs approximately 130 pounds.

The horseshoes measure more than 20 inches from end to end and weigh about 5 pounds. Ten horses, a beer wagon and other essential equipment are transported in three 50-foot tractor-trailers, and weigh more than 12 tons when ready to roll. Dalmatians have traveled with the Clydesdale hitch since the 1950s.