Horses
- Budweiser Clydesdale Commercial "a Hero's Welcome" For The Big Game!!!
We at Purina Animal Nutrition are so proud to be working with the folks at Budweiser and supporting the nutrition efforts of these magnificent Clydesdales! ...
- 2013 Purina Equine Veterinarian And Vet Technician Conference – Another Great Meeting!
The 14th Annual Purina Equine Veterinarian Conference, held at the Double Tree Hotel within the historic Union Station, downtown St. Louis on October 11 – 13 was by all reports, a resounding success. Consistent with the standard that Purina...
- Feed Fit For A King - Purina And The Budweiser Clydesdales
Ok, I admit it. Even after a year of working with the Budweiser Clydesdales, I am still the worst stereotype of a horse-crazy tourist—taking pictures with my phone of the horses, the dogs, the wagons, me with the horses, and the dogs, and the...
- Happy Thanksgiving From Our Farm To Yours!
Holidays can be a wonderful time for rest, relaxation, and time with family and friends. But if you have horses, it can sometimes seem like any other day! As you know, the horses don’t know it’s a holiday, they expect to be fed on time,...
- Behind The Scenes....looking Intense
In this blog, you get to see a lot of good research going on and learn about our travels across the country. But behind all this fun is the hard work that takes place in front of a computer, in meetings and through group efforts that plan...
Horses
In the shadow of giants….
A few weeks ago, several of my co-workers and I had the opportunity to take part in a behind-the-scenes tour of Grant’s Farm, home of the up and coming and retired Budweiser Clydesdales. Many thanks to Dr. Katie Young who organized the tour. Dr. Young and Purina Animal Nutrition Center Equine Research Unit manager, Mike Jerina, are working closely with the managers of the Budweiser Clydesdales to optimize their nutritional programs and to learn more about how to best assess body weight and body condition in these incredible horses. The supervisor of the Grant’s Farm facility, Amy Trout, and her assistant Michelle Speck, graciously spent over two hours with our group of Purina Animal Nutrition employees teaching us about the management of the Clydesdales, the Budweiser Clydesdale program of assessing and training the future hitch horses and many of the unique aspects of caring for and nurturing the Clydesdales young and old.
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| Photo provided by: Kent Lanter |
Rudy is retired from the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch team and enjoying the “life of Riley” being pampered and adored by staff and visitors alike at Grant’s Farm.
An interesting aspect of these horses is that despite their size and the demands of the work they do, many of these horses require relatively few calories to maintain good body condition. This is such an amazement to me since I am used to working with light breed performance horses and sled dogs that require tremendous caloric intake to maintain their condition during performance. The Budweiser Clydesdales truly are a marvel of efficient engineering.
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| Photo by: Kathy Williamson |
Young prospects looking gorgeous in their red and green blankets enjoyed showing off a bit for us, their adoring fans.
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| Photo by: Kathy Williamson |
Youngsters at the fence are always eager to greet new people. Our group was quite a novelty since Grant’s Farm has few visitors during the winter months.
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| Photo provided by: Kent Lanter |
Many thanks to Rudy and Amy Trout for the photo op of a lifetime!
Every time I am in the presence of these regal horses I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sense of benevolent power they exude. A body so massive holding such gentle spirits, they inspire awe and joy in everyone who sees them. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to spend even a few minutes in their company.
- Budweiser Clydesdale Commercial "a Hero's Welcome" For The Big Game!!!
We at Purina Animal Nutrition are so proud to be working with the folks at Budweiser and supporting the nutrition efforts of these magnificent Clydesdales! ...
- 2013 Purina Equine Veterinarian And Vet Technician Conference – Another Great Meeting!
The 14th Annual Purina Equine Veterinarian Conference, held at the Double Tree Hotel within the historic Union Station, downtown St. Louis on October 11 – 13 was by all reports, a resounding success. Consistent with the standard that Purina...
- Feed Fit For A King - Purina And The Budweiser Clydesdales
Ok, I admit it. Even after a year of working with the Budweiser Clydesdales, I am still the worst stereotype of a horse-crazy tourist—taking pictures with my phone of the horses, the dogs, the wagons, me with the horses, and the dogs, and the...
- Happy Thanksgiving From Our Farm To Yours!
Holidays can be a wonderful time for rest, relaxation, and time with family and friends. But if you have horses, it can sometimes seem like any other day! As you know, the horses don’t know it’s a holiday, they expect to be fed on time,...
- Behind The Scenes....looking Intense
In this blog, you get to see a lot of good research going on and learn about our travels across the country. But behind all this fun is the hard work that takes place in front of a computer, in meetings and through group efforts that plan...