OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Some of the most recognizable animals are in southeast Iowa.
The Budweiser Clydesdales arrived in the city of bridges Tuesday. It's been more than 20 years since the horses visited Ottumwa.
Nick Dunham, a Clydesdale handler, says when the horses visit, you can expect a crowd to follow.
"Usually the community always welcomes us in with open arms,” Dunham said. “It's always neat to pull into a town and as soon as we got here, I mean it was within minutes that cars were pulling up. They were just excited to see what was going on.”
On Thursday the horses will be in Centerville with parades in Ottumwa on Friday and Chariton on Saturday scheduled. The Ottumwa parade will run from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. while the horses drop off cases of beer at local retailers.
The giant horses also have giant appetites.
“We feed just regular crimped oats and of course lots and lots of hay. On a day like today, it's pretty hot and humid, they're going to drink anywhere between 30 to 60 gallons of water throughout the day.”
And it’s not always the horses traveling across the country. Somebody has to take care of the horses.
“Typically there'll be anywhere between six to seven of us that travel out on the road at one time. It's actually a 12 man crew so we always have guys that stay back in St. Louis and take care of the horses that are on their vacation you would say.”
The horses are currently being held in the parking lot of the Beach Ottumwa.
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