There are six hitches, five traveling and one permanently housed at Grant's Farm, the 281-acre ancestral home of the Busch family in St. Louis. It is registered as a historic landmark by the Federal government. The Clydesdale Operation receives thousands of requests for appearances each year. Each request is evaluated on the type of event, dates, history of appearances in that area and input from Anheuser-Busch management. The hitches' grooms travel with the horses, and are on the road for 10 months out of the year.
Drivers receive rigorous training before taking the reins of the hitch.
Those reins weigh 40 pounds. The added tension on the reins brings the total weight on the driver to 75 pounds. The horses, wagon, and equipment are transported in three 50-foot tractor trailers that weigh 24 tons when fully loaded. Collars are custom fitted. Each horse must have four white stockings, a blaze, and a black mane and tail.