Warm Springs Ranch — Attraction in Huntsdale

Warm Springs Ranch is the breeding and foaling facility for the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, as well as home base for the East and West Coast hitches. Access to the ranch is by scheduled tours only. (See the Warm Springs Ranch website for details.) We took every tour available at the time. In order of how much we enjoyed them, the tours were: Wheels and Reins - An intimate, hands-on tour that included myself, my wife, tour guide Ashton, trainer John, and Chip and Rock On. Rock On was retired from the hitch, and Chip was a gelding in training. We began by currying and brushing the horses, the harnessing and attaching them to a cart. My wife drove the team out, and I drove them back, then we brushed them down again and led them into their stalls. This was the tour that made everyone else jealous. Expensive, but it was worth it. Clydesdales and Cheers - A chef-prepaired dinner for 56 at a nearby banquet facility (Coopers Ridge). We learned about how to pour and how to pair, as well as having a delicious meal and the chance to try some AB products that we had not tasted before. Becoming a King - A Hitch Journey - We learned a lot about the selection and breeding and saw some of the training aids for horses and drivers. I was able to try an 8-horse hitch simulator. (See how long you can hold 8 reins weighing 40 lbs interlaced between your fingers.) Cruising with the Clydesdales - A tractor driven wagon ride through 340 acres of pastures, specifically the 2-year-old, 3-year-old, and mares and foals pastures. We stopped in each, and the horses came right up to the wagon to be rubbed on. Marsha, our tour guide, was a fountain of information. History and Horses - A walking tour of the barn, with stops in the breeding room, the prefoaling stables, the foaling stables, the mares and foals stables, the farriers shop, and the vet exam area. Our tour guide was new and not very knowledgeable. I highly recommend visiting the facility, but...

We had a wonderful time at Warm Springs Ranch. We made reservations on Friday for the "Cruising with the Clydesdales" which is a ride on a "people mover" and enjoy a Q&A as we drove around in the pastures to meet a few of the horses and learned important fact about Clydesdales, and the functionality of the ranch. It gave us beautiful views of the ranch and we were able to be up close and in person with the horses. They take pride in their Clydesdales and Ranch and are very passionate at what they do. Our guide was wonderful! A retired school teacher who has found her second calling, sharing her love for horses. On Saturday we came back for the "Mane Event". Another grand experience at Warm Springs Ranch. We were able to hear all about the horses, why Budweiser is part of it, and experienced the hitching process from beginning to end. The beauty of these horses is undescribable! They even had a few of the dalmatians here this weekend but I don't think they are there all the time. And I wouldn't be doing Warm Springs Ranch justice if I didn't mention the staff that takes pride in what they do. You can tell this is a dream job for most. They put in hard work to make events like this happen. I want to thank our tour guide from Friday, for sharing her love for horses and knowledge of the ranch. The whole crew on Saturday for a wonderful event and to Lain and John (GM) for answering so many questions and taking time for thanking us for coming. We would recommend this place to family and friends. And you can guarantee, we'll be back in the Spring to...

I absolutely love Warm Springs Ranch and have been on three tours...2 guided walking tours and 1 VIP vehicle tour. This is a most amazing ranch with highly skilled & knowledgeable employees. First and foremost this is a working ranch and breeding farm so everyone should be mindful of listening to the tour guide when the instruct you to keep you hands away and don't touch the goals as you could be a career if diseases and germs that could do harm to them. Also, they inform people about boundaries and not getting to close to the Clydesdales and remind everyone that at the end of the tour you will have an opportunity to touch and have your picture taken with a specific Clydesdale. There are rules for reason and if people continue to think the rules do not apply to them then whose to say these public tours may cease to exist. So, this review is both a promotion of this wonderful facility as well as a reminder to please follow the rules and do what the tour guides say as the safety of both the Clydesdales and humans are important. They may be gentle giants but remember they are also being housed or trained, can be spooked and are not used to people coming up to them. So having one particular Clydesdale at the end of the tour should be adequate to fulfill your desire to touch one as well as get your picture with it. I highly recommend everyone who loves the Clydesdales to go online and schedule a tour as this is an amazing opportunity to see and learn about the beloved...