The Budweiser Clydes in Grayson, Georgia

Sadly, writer/reporter Curt Yeomans posted this article December 1, 2016 about a recent trip one of the Budweiser teams of Clydes made to Grayson Georgia. I wonder what that smiling woman would think if she knew about how these horses are mutilated...would she still be taking selfies with them.

The event was orchestrated by The Eagle Rock Distributing Company and the Beverage Superstore owned by Richard Tucker.

• curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com

• Dec 1, 2016

Here is a link to the article (my comments are posted directly below it) : http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/thousands-show-up-to-see-budweiser-clydesdales-in-grayson/article_41efed30-18b7-5502-8777-0dc219ed40fe.html

This is the letter I posted regarding this article.

These horses are gorgeous, however, were you aware that Budweiser cuts their tails off? I don't mean just the hair...they amputate healthy bone and muscle that the horse actually needs and uses. This amputation is called docking, and it is a cruel and useless procedure that is done so that the horse looks a certain way. So much of the tail is cut off - bones (15 of their 18 vertebra), muscles and skin - the horse is left with a tiny stub. Some horses are forced to live with chronic or phantom pain throughout their life. Imagine you are covered with mosquitos or wasps...but cannot move your arms to brush them off. That is what these horses have to deal with. Their tail is gone so they are not able to even brush away flies. Shameful! Docking of horses’ tails was originally performed for safety reasons when horses were harnessed for activities such as hauling, logging or pulling carriages (Tozzini, 2003). The rationale given for this was to prevent possible difficulties in controlling a horse whose tail had tangled in the harness or reins (Tozzini, 2003; Lefebvre et al, 2007). However, not all draught horses are docked and the inconsistent application of the practice implies that these horses can be managed adequately without the need to remove the tail. Simple and practical alternatives, such as plaiting or bandaging the tail, are available if necessary. Fourteen US states have banned it along with five Canadian provinces and 11 countries. The AAEP policy states, in part, that: “The American Association of Equine Practitioners is opposed to the alteration of the tail of the horse for cosmetic or competitive purposes.” From the United States Humane Society: “We agree that unless medically indicated for the horse’s health, this procedure is unnecessary and limits natural movement of the tail, to the extent that it cannot be used to fend off flies and biting insects and prevents horses from displaying mental and physiological states of mind.” - Marty Irby, Senior Director of Rural Outreach and Equine Protection, The Humane Society of the US.

Please, stop supporting this cruelty towards horses. As long as you go to these events, Budweiser will continue to mutilate their horses. Shame on Budweiser. I am working in Florida to get a new law on the books to protect horses here from being treated so brutally. In addition, I continue to collect signatures from people, asking Budweiser to stop this cruelty. http://briarle2.wixsite.com/bantai.../petition-for-budweiser Thank you!