A team of the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales had a close call at a Texas rodeo recently, creating some tense moments as a stunned crowd waited for the massive horses to be brought upright. The horses are enormous, and due to some very controversial procedures they undergo for cosmetic purposes can sometimes not be as stable on their feet as other breeds. Check this out.
A video shared by the Model Horse Tack School shows the demonstration going awry after a pair of the Budweiser Clydesdales tripped, and the crowd gasped in horror as the massive horses stumbled and fell onto the ground.
A group of officials and trainers rushed to the horses aide and frantically checked for injuries.
As the team of professionals worked, the announcer narrated the suspenseful action to the audience, noting that in the rodeo business, “when you’re working with animals, you never know what can happen.”
The video shows the workers proficiently untangling the horses and removing them from the arena.
Oof.
First, PETA exposed that @Budweiser severs horses’ tailbones & now this? https://t.co/37LvD0bIYJ #FollowTheHitch pic.twitter.com/6DGHGQeFpP
— PETA (@peta) February 21, 2023
With horses this size anything can happen, and the sheer girth makes it difficult for the animal to get back to their feet. The yolks the horses wear are extremely heavy, making it much more difficult for the horse to rise up. Three of the Clydesdales were untangled without incident. However, the fourth needed extra time and effort.
The horse that fell was immediately checked for injuries with the announcers assuring audience members that they have, “an animal care unit, and if we need to transport any livestock, even a 2,000-pound bull. We’re able to do it.”
After a few minutes, the two lead horses and a third horse were freed from the pack to create space around the downed horse. When the animal finally tries to rise to its feet, the crowd roars their encouragement, but it did not quite make it.
During a second attempt, the massive horse managed to regain its footing after the handler removed the heavy harness from the horse. Once the horse rose up, the animal received a thunderous applause from the audience.
“He is going to totally examine that animal,” the announcer shared. “They will look over the rest of them that were in that hitch as well. They are beautiful.”
The team managed to escape injury, but animal rights groups have jumped on the incident pointing out the controversial procedure that the horses undergo for aesthetic purposes. The Budweiser Clydesdales have their tailbones removed so they look a certain way while pulling the carts.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), investigators went to the official breeding facility for the Budweiser Clydesdales.
“We uncovered that Anheuser-Busch Companies LLC, which produces Budweiser beer, amputates the tailbones of the famed Clydesdales—primarily so they’ll look a certain way as they pull the wagon.” PETA shared on its website.
Clydesdales use their tails for balance, mobility, and communication, PETA shared. The removal of the tailbone is prohibited in 10 U.S. states, unless medically necessary, and in several countries.
While it seems gross and ghoulish to remove the tailbone of the horses, it isn’t unusual for breeders to alter the appearance of certain breeds, such as boxing ears on dogs. It was certainly a tense situation, but thankfully the horses were unharmed, otherwise Budweiser might have to change their practices with the horses.
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