The Clydesdales are very familiar to almost everyone in the St. Louis area. They were featured in the old Busch Stadium all the time when Gussie Busch owned the Cardinals baseball team.

I've never seen anything quite like this. The video appears to have been taken by a fan in the stands so it gets shaky at times but it provides a great vantage point to see what takes place.

When the lead horse on the right goes rogue, the guy riding shotgun on the wagon leaps off with a serious quickness and flanks the team to get around to where the rogue Clydesdale ends up.

One of the most impressive things was how there was no stampede of unnecessary personnel flooding the arena and getting in the way. Everyone there had a purpose and calmly went about doing what needed to be done to extricate the downed Clydesdale from all the harnesses and rigging which he was entangled in. Nice response to a difficult situation.

Wow that was heart wrenching drama right there. I'm glad that all's well that ends well.

Jim

They visited the MQT 4th of July parade one year. Very impressive to see them up close and the support logistics that go with them. If they are near you, dont miss them.

Now the NASCAR types can say "Rodeo? We only go to to hope the beer wagon crashes."

It was excellent response. Something tells me this is not a new rodeo for these rodeo riders.

Thank you for posting that FFSF. Hope he is alright. Very cool to watch those in charge take to the task of righting the ship and caring for its crew.

We have a 'Hitch' of Budweiser Clydesdales at the Budweiser's Merrimack, NH brewery! I've toured the Clydesdale Hamlet/stables and seen them numerous times...They're quite impressive!

Bet they could all use a brewski after that.

I am really impressed by how they were able to keep the horses calm.

Slightly different take. The primary announcer for the SASS&R is Randy Corley, I talked to him on the phone just a couple of days ago. His partner is Wayne Brooks, who was our announcer for a little PRCA rodeo I co-chaired in Arizona. The two of them are among the best in professional rodeo. Both talk to the crowd like we’re all family, no carnival barker theatrics. I think they did an outstanding job of talking the crowd through the accident with the team, helping them stay positive, and understand what the Budweiser Clydesdale crew was doing out there. They put on a great show in San Antonio, and I’m proud to say the Chair of the Military Affairs Committee is a friend as well. Someday soon…

Whew! I’m glad all the horses and personnel are ok.

I’ve always loved horses, such magnificent creatures. I’m fortunate to live very close to the Express Ranch by Yukon OK. Express has a beautiful facility of Clydesdales and Percherons. You have to stand next to a Clydesdale or Percheron to see just how big they are, including the wagon size. I go every chance I get. Self tours are free, a few bucks for a guided informative tour. If you get the chance visit them.
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That could have been way worse than it was. I'm glad to see the horse wasn't injured.

Having known people that owned both Belgians and Clydesdale I can say they are incredibly powerful animals but have a fairly calm temperament They can easily step on you and not know it though (yes, it HURTS).

I saw a serious accident with a 6 hitch at the our county fair in the early 90's. My dad and I were sitting on the rail watching the 4H exercise period when we heard thunder from behind us in the RV park. Given the day was sunny and 85 we were confused until the hitch and wagon made the first corner. They were at a flat out gallop. You have no idea how impressive that is to see coming at you, even with a fence in the way.

Unfortunately the hitch didn't make the second 90 degree corner and ran over a brand new Lincoln Mark V that was parked next to the fence. The lead hitch went over the car, the hitch bar went through the rear window, the swing hitch went up on top of the car and fell off each side with one ending up upside down between the car and the cyclone fence. The wheel hitch slammed chest first into the back of the car and drove it forward about 5'. The driver was launched off the wagon and landed on the back of the swing hitch horse that fell left and dropped to the ground unhurt.

The horses received minor injuries. The lead hitch was almost unscathed, the wheel hitch had some cuts on their chests. The L swing horse was also fine. The one that landed upside down had cuts on it's leg and side. We cut the fence down from the frame and rolled horse away from the car. Once the dust settled and enough of us got there to grab the horses they calmed right down. The one upside down was actually the most calm of all of them. Yes, the visual is strikingly funny. I have an image burned in my brain of the horse looking up at me with this "What the hell happened.....??? ok, I'll just stay here" look.

The car, was a disaster. Every window broken and not a straight panel anywhere on the car. The owner, the grand father of a girl in our club, had picked it up from the dealership the day before. It was less than 24 hrs old. Listening to him talk to his insurance agent and trying to explain how his brand new luxury car was run over by six draft horses was absolutely epic. The agent arrived an hour later and totaled it on the spot.

I never heard what spooked the team, but the co-driver fell off just as they started to pick up speed. I give the actual driver a lot of credit for keeping the team under control and not rolling the entire rig as they hit the first 90 degree corner.


Clearly an event I'll never forget. I'll be just fine if I never have to see that coming at me again.

Glad everyone is ok. Clydesdales are pretty amazing animals, so incredibly strong.

I didn't have a particularly agricultural upbringing, but in college I had a friend whose parents built covered wagons and had a team of Clydesdales to pull them. One day they were going to hook a couple of them up to a wagon, and we went to get them. They had a hundreds of acres and mostly free ranged the horses, so the usual plan was to take their old Jeep CJ out, find the horses, and lead them back to the barn. They had done this hundreds of times, but this time I went with them. They found the horses and hitched them up, and since there were 3 of us my friend jumped in the back instead of the passenger seat. This spooked the horses, and in the blink of an eye they bolted and dragged that CJ in gear with the parking brake on down through a creek and up the opposite bank before they stopped. I think one of them broke the lead they were attached to the jeep with, but I may be just making that part up. Thankfully, all people, the horses and the jeep emerged unscathed. They were always really gentle horses, but that was an instant reminder of just how powerful they really are.

TMats, I agree that your friends, the announcers, did a great job with the crowd. Their positivity, clear explanations of protocols in place and even the factoids they provided were no doubt invaluable to making it seem like while unfortunate, this was no big deal. When he announced that each horse drank around 30 gallons of water per day, I momentarily forgot about what I was watching.

Rightwire and Perception, you definitely have experienced something most of us never will. Thanks for sharing.