MUSKEGON, Mich. — For the third time in the last ten years, the Budweiser Clydesdales will make a stop in Muskegon.
On Friday, July 26, the eight-horse hitch will make an appearance in Downtown Muskegon to mark the 90th anniversary of Tyler Sales Company Inc.
The Clydesdales will parade down Western Avenue, making "ceremonial beer deliveries" from 4-5 p.m. After the parade, they'll stop for a picture-taking opportunity outside of Hackley Park from 5-6 p.m. The whole community is invited to come and take part.
That won't be the horses' only stop in West Michigan. Just one week later they'll be in Grand Haven for the Coast Guard Festival's Grand Parade. In the Grand Parade on Aug. 3, the horses will pull the famous red beer wagon. The parade will kick off at 11:45 a.m.
Not every horse, of course, has what it takes to be a Clydesdale.
To qualify for a hitch, a Clydesdale hast to be at least a four-year-old gelding, stand 72 inches at shoulder when fully mare, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, a blaze of white on the face, four white legs, and a black mane and tail.
A single horse on the team can eat as much as 20 to 25 quarts of feed, 40 to 50 pounds of hay and drink 30 gallons of water per day.
Each hitch travels with a Dalmatian. Dalmatians were bred and trained to protect the horses and guard the wagon while drivers made deliveries in the early days of brewing.
The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival begins July 26 and runs through August 4.
