BOONVILLE, Mo. — “Budweiser is special to us," Mandy Lehmann smiles, "because Jason loves beer and because I love Clydesdales.”
As it worked out, Mandy and Jason's love story got to have Anheuser-Busch written all over it.
Jason proposed during a Christmas event at Warm Springs Ranch.
Their next move was engagement photos at Grant's Farm.
Followed by a red, white and blue wedding at Anheuser Busch's St. Louis Brewery. “We kept it in the whole package of Anheuser-Busch," Mandy tells Show Me St. Louis, "they did a fantastic job and it was a great day.”
For their anniversary Mark Boese, the supervisor for Warm Springs Ranch, showed the Lehmanns around the ranch.
“The reason we have Clydesdales now is on April 7th 1933 to celebrate the end of prohibition August Busch Jr. gave his a six up of Clydesdales," explains Boese, "and from there it’s history.”
The Budweiser Clydesdales have since captured the hearts of people worldwide.
“We get people from all over almost the world," Boese tells Show Me St. Louis, "Warm Springs Ranch is home of the Budweiser Clydesdales and this is our breeding farm and training facility.”
Tour arrangements are made online. The ranch runs nine tours a day, seven walking tours and two VIP tours.
All tours include beer and an up close look at the famous equines. “A lot of our guests come here, this is on their bucket list," Boese says, "To be able to come here and see different ages of Clydesdales and get to see our babies, it fulfills their life long dreams.”
For St. Louisans like the Lehmanns, a trip to Warm Springs Ranch packs in some Missouri pride. “It’s neat to see, you feel so proud when you see these Clydesdales and what they do," Mandy says, "They’re just magnificent animals and they live a great life, better than I think we do. And it’s a lot of fun to see the whole beginning to the end.”
If a trip to the ranch isn’t in the cards yet, here are some of the top Warm Springs Ranch tour questions.
How big are they? Boese says Clydesdales usually weigh around 2000 pounds and they stand around 18 hands tall, which is around six feet at the shoulder.
How big are the babies? When they are born they weigh about 150 to 175 pounds and stand about three to three and a half foot tall.”
After some quiet months in 2020, Boese says the famous Budweiser Clydesdales are happy to be back in the spotlight, "I think they enjoy the people, I think they enjoy the atmosphere of people coming through and admiring them.”