Vanessa Bartsch introduces kids to Carter, one of the Clydesdales recently boarded at the Red Barn.
A team of the Budweiser Clydesdales visited Stanford’s Red Barn last week. The horses, famous for their amusing Super Bowl commercials and appearances at events nationwide, were visiting for an event at Facebook, whose headquarters is located in the nearby Stanford Research Park. They needed a temporary place to board, and the Red Barn, home of Stanford’s equestrian team, fit the bill.
The gentle giants, with their powerful physiques and distinctive fluffy white “feathering” over their hooves, attracted a fair amount of attention, according to Red Barn Manager and Equestrian Team Coach VANESSA BARTSCH. So did the equally famous Budweiser Dalmation dog, Brady, who bedded down on a nearby stack of hay.
“My students turned from 20 years old to around 6 around them,” said Bartsch.
The Clydesdales became the corporate symbol of Anheuser-Busch at the end of Prohibition, when August Busch presented his father with a team pulling a bright red brewery wagon as a gift. The horses weigh about 2,000 pounds, which is about double most of the horses boarded at the Red Barn. Each eats about 50 to 60 pounds of hay and up to 10 pounds of specialized grains and vitamins daily.
