An Entertainment Abuses Article from All-Creatures.org

Anheuser-Busch says it will no longer amputate the tails of Budweiser Clydesdales

From Tuesday's Horse
September 2023

The practice of docking has its roots is an old tradition meant to keep a horse’s tail from becoming tangled in the harness or equipment, but today it is mainly done for cosmetic purposes, notes Equus magazine. The procedure is banned in 10 states and several countries including the UK and Germany.

Image from PETA.org

PETA had earlier this year launched a campaign criticizing the beermaker’s practices, including an unofficial Super Bowl commercial — a sharp rebuke to Budweiser’s decades-spanning custom of running Super Bowl ads featuring the horses towing its beer wagons.

“It’s the same kind of mutilation that’s done to certain breeds of dogs,” Kathy Guillermo, a PETA vice president, told The Post. “But the horses rely on their tails to swat away flies and vets tell us that the tails are important for balance when they are turning or stopping.”

The practice of docking has its roots is an old tradition meant to keep a horse’s tail from becoming tangled in the harness or equipment, but today it is mainly done for cosmetic purposes, notes Equus magazine.

The procedure is banned in 10 states and several countries around the world including the UK and Germany.  

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