In 1981 UT College of Veterinary Medicine professors Dr. Dennis Geiser and Dr. Dallas Goble responded to a call for proposals from Anheuser Busch, and UT became the consultant for the Budweiser Clydesdales national herd health program. The two faculty members devised a program of twice-yearly physicals and a schedule of routine care.
There are 60 Budweiser Clydesdales that work in hitches of eight each. There are four “base stations” to which the UT veterinarians travel to perform physical examinations, including blood counts and blood chemistry profiles of the horses. Local veterinarians near the base stations perform routine health procedures. Occasionally, a Clydesdale is admitted to the UT Veterinary Teaching Hospital for surgery, such as removal of a throat obstruction or treatment of a foot infection.
Clancy, a 14-year-old Clydesdale weighing more than 2,250 pounds, retired from public appearances and was donated to the UT Veterinary School where he lived for several years in retirement on Cherokee Farm. Major, another retired and donated Clydesdale, also lived on the Cherokee Farm. In October 1989 a party was given in Major’s name to celebrate the publication of best-selling author Peter Jenkins’ new book, Close Friends, and to announce that a portion of the royalties from the book would be contributed to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Jenkins had previously published A Walk Across America and Across China.