Clydesdales gallop into North Idaho

HAYDEN - Joel May wore a big smile Thursday afternoon as his mom, Rene, snapped a few photos of the Budweiser Clydesdales.

"They're really cool," Joel said. "I've been to Alaska and seen a lot of horses, but these guys, they're massive. They're majestic, almost. They're really cool. I like seeing them every chance I get."

The Mays, of Post Falls, were on their way to a motorcycle rally in downtown Coeur d'Alene when they saw the beautiful brawny beasts in front of the Super 1 Foods in Hayden. They just had to take a quick detour.

"This one keeps trying to get him to go. He wants to go," Rene said, grinning and pointing to the lead horse, who kept tugging on his neighbor. "He keeps pushing him out of the way."

She said she also loves to see the Clydesdales whenever they are in town.

"They're beautiful," she said. "And the commercials, oh my gosh."

The eight horses were hitched to a red Budweiser beer wagon, where the driver and a 2-year-old Dalmatian, Chip, were seated. A large group of people crowded around the horses at a safe distance. Many hoisted their children up for a better view, several took photos and a few asked the Budweiser team members about the Clydesdales, their link to Budweiser history and other questions.

Chris Ragan of Hayden brought her grandchildren Hunter Martenson, 7, and Paizley Martenson, 5, to see the horses. They just happened to stop at Super 1, and were pleasantly surprised to see the Clydesdales. She said the kids were excited.

"They came running out, wanting to see them," Ragan said. "It was a good coincidence."

"I like them," Hunter said. "They're big."

Doug Bousselot of Calamus, Iowa, is the hitch supervisor and driver with the Clydesdale team, which is based out of Fort Collins, Colo. He wore the old-fashioned driver uniform, complete with a white shirt, green cap and green tie. He said the hitch team of about seven was responsible for grooming the Clydesdales, which includes braiding red and white fabric roses into their manes and making sure they are prepared for the public.

"Most people come up and they see how big they are, how gentle," he said. "With the fetlock hairs or the feathers on there, they're flashier. They're a big, tall horse, but as big as they are, they're pretty gentle."

Bousselot explained that the Busch family had been brewing beer since the 1860s, then prohibition happened. It was when prohibition was lifted in the 1930s that the Clydesdale-Budweiser relationship was formed.

"When they repealed prohibition, August Busch Jr. presented his dad with a team of Clydesdales to celebrate," he said. "When he presented that team of horses to his dad, they were like, 'Let's take a case of beer to the White House. They delivered, and it went over so big, that was 81 years ago and we're still doing it."

Bousselot said he really enjoys interacting with the gentle giants on his team. The heaviest horse is 2,200 pounds and the lightest is 1,900.

"The horses come up and rub on you in the morning," he said. "They're happy to see you."

Dana Cook of Addison, Mich., is a handler with the hitch. She explained that Clydesdales all across the country are fed hay and alfalfa from Standlee Hay Company near Kimberly, Idaho, mainly because it is the only feed company that can ship to all the necessary locations.

"In every location," she said. "We have Merrimack, N.H., we have our St. Louis hitch, we also have Grant's Farm in St. Louis and Boonville, Miss., which is our breeding facility ... they all have hay from Idaho."

The Budweiser Clydesdales will be at the Walmart in Sandpoint from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. They are touring hops farms in the region, including Elk Mountain Farms in Bonners Ferry, which is a hops farm for parent company Anheuser-Busch. The hitch will be traveling by semi truck to Eugene, Ore., and then Anaheim, Calif.

"It's an amazing job," Cook said. "You get to go to some beautiful places, meet some great people on the way. And the horses, they make it worth it. They're a lot of fun to be around. Very easygoing bunch of horses."