Mid-Missouri Budweiser Clydesdale facility opens for 2015

Each year, thousands of people in Mid-Missouri tour the Budweiser Clydesdales facility. And Saturday, Warm Springs Ranch near Boonville opened for the season.

Warm Springs Ranch said they are booking up faster and faster each year. Last year, more than 28,000 people toured the ranch. And this year, weekend tours are already booked until the end of June.

Saturday, more than 100 people went to the Warm Springs Ranch to get a first look at the facility for the 2015 season. They were also the first to see the newest foal born at the ranch Saturday morning. The 360 acre ranch has about 90 Clydesdales to breed future famous Budweiser horses.

“This is the only breeding farm for Anheuser-Busch,” John Detweiler with Warm Springs Ranch said. “This is where they’re all born and raised here. And this is where they start out at to hopefully make the hitch down the road. You’ll see them doing parades somewhere down the road in four years.”

The newest addition to the group makes for 16 new foals this season, Detweiler said. And in a couple of months, it will have a total of 32 new young horses. The Budweiser Clydesdales are bred to have a very specific look.

“We want them to have the bay with the four white legs and a nice blaze on their face,” Detweiler said. “And the average Clydesdale on hitch is about 2,000 pounds and 6″ tall at the shoulders to make the team.”

The new foals are up and running only a few days after they are born.

“At about three days old they’ll go outside for a couple hours during the day,” Detweiler said. “And then they’ll come back in and stay in during the night inside. And then each day they’ll stay out a couple hours longer.”

The ranch gives two hour tours by reservation only six days a week, not including Wednesdays. The tours are $10 per person at at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and continue until November 1.

If you would like to book a tour, you can do so here.