Warm Springs Ranch open to public for Budweiser Clydesdale tours

It is that time of year again for tours at Budweiser’s Clydesdale breeding facility in mid-Missouri.

This season alone- Warm Springs Ranch is expecting more than 25 foals (baby horses) to be born, including 20 this Spring.

Warm Springs Ranch attracts more than 20,000 people a year from around the world to see the Clydesdales.

Since 1933, Clydesdale horses have become an iconic symbol for Anheuser-Busch.

The famous horses appear in parades and festivals across the nation, and of course the Super Bowl commercials.

Some were even filmed in mid-Missouri at Warm Springs.

“Every year more people come. It is a neat place. It is the one place that is behind the scenes,” said John Soto, the Breeding farm manager at Warm Springs Ranch.

The ranch in Boonville is where the Clydesdales are bred and foals born.

On Wednesday the youngest foal was three days old and already 100 pounds.

“They are one of the biggest breeds,” said Soto.

However, they are known as gentle giants. They eat anywhere from 40-60 pounds of hay and drink 30 gallons of water.

The Warm Springs tour guide tells me that they always travel with ten horses, even though they only use 8 on the hitch.

They do this so they never have to cancel an event.

Right out of the gate that is already $100,000 for all of the harnesses alone.

I did ask Soto about how much it costs to take care of all 80 horses on the property.

He tells me he could not estimate, but that Anheuser-Busch makes sure their horses get the very best.

Tours for the ranch opened to the public last weekend and will continue until October.

You can book those tours on Warm Spring Ranch website.

The tours are offered twice daily, expect on Wednesday’s.

Tours start at $10 a person.