Soto keeps a watchful eye, ensuring his horses receive proper veterinary and hoof care, nursing little ones who need extra help and making sure they are socialized. Visitors can see and interact with the horses, which teaches them to acclimate and trust humans, and sets the stage for what’s to come. The ranch opens for seasonal tours through the summer. Dozens of Clydesdales are born and can be found roaming in small groups around the property. “They stay with their mothers until they’re 5 months old, and then we’ll wean them,” Soto said. They spend their early days nuzzling for milk, galloping through rolling pastures and growing into their lengthy limbs. The foals are given names that start with the first letter of their mother’s name: Moose’s momma is Monica Julio is the son of Joy. Soto raises the horses at Warm Springs Ranch, a sprawling 300-acre farm in central Missouri. The road to Budweiser stardom starts the minute a foal is born. Since then, the horses have participated in two presidential inaugurations, marched in 62 Tournament of Roses parades, greeted thousands of fans and appeared on millions of television sets in more than 25 tear-jerking Super Bowl commercials.Īnheuser-Busch now counts 175 Clydesdales in its herd. “The horses delivered the first post-Prohibition case of Budweiser to the White House, and started a tour around the U.S.,” said Jeff Knapper, general manager of Clydesdale Operations. Thus the phrase, “crying in your beer” was born. The gesture was so moving, the entire family was driven to tears. On April 7, 1933, August Busch Jr and his brother Adolphus surprised their dad with a six-horse Clydesdale hitch. The Budweiser Clydesdale tradition started as a gift from two sons to their father. And within two to three hours, the foal is up walking. The birthing process itself usually takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes. This season, Soto will run toward a laboring mare 32 times. Half the people didn’t even know where I went they just saw me running out the door!” “When our alarm goes off, it’s like (we’re) firemen,” he said, recalling the loud beeping that interrupted last year’s Super Bowl showdown. Soto is the breeding farm supervisor at Warm Springs Ranch, the birthplace of the Budweiser Clydesdales. When it does, the next American icon will be born within minutes. As Super Bowl excitement grows across the country, John Soto keeps his cell phone handy, and his shoes near the door. It’s baby boom season in Boonville, Missouri.
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