IDAHO FALLS — Children lined up for an opportunity to briefly pet one of the smaller of the mammoth Budweiser Clydesdales, Lester, Wednesday afternoon.

    A few of the children seemed hesitant, others eager, and parents were ready with cameras in hand to capture the moment.

    “It’s fun to see them in real life and they are big,” said Marci Fielding of Firth.     

    Much of the crowed who gathered at Ellis Supreme Arabians south of Idaho Falls were the families of three sisters who heard about the special visit from a relative and sprung on the opportunity to bring their children to see the iconic horses.

    The last time a team of Budweiser Clydesdales came to Idaho Falls was about five years ago, according to Clydesdale Supervisor Doug Bouffelout. He said a team of horses came to the grand opening of Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls.

    To keep with tradition, the Budweiser Clydesdales will be making a special appearance at Thursday’s Chukars baseball game.

    Bouffleout said the team will be at Civitan Park on Riverside Drive at about 4:30 p.m. before the game.

    “We’ll start putting the harness on about 20 (minutes) to 5, then we’ll be down at the ballpark about 5:30-quarter to six,” he said.

    On Saturday, the team will be at Snake River Landing in Idaho Falls, across from Stockman’s Restaurant on Pier View Drive.

    “They’ll be hooked up from one o’clock on,” he said. “We invite people to come down with their cameras and take pictures and see them.”

    This team of 10 Clydesdales, is one of three in the nation. This one is based out of Fort Collins, Colo., and travels with three semi-trailers, one passenger van and a staff of seven.

    The history of the Budweiser Clydesdales began at the end of prohibition, April 7, 1933. A team of six Clydesdales was given to August Busch Sr. A second team of six-horse Clydesdale hitch was also sent to New York.

    “The Busch family all really like horses, whether the are riding or driving or whatever, but August Busch, he really liked the white, fetlock hair and flash, the majestic look of (Clydesdales) and how they carried themselves so proud,” Bouffelout said.

    The horses in this hitch include, Dick, Fez, Carter, Jake, Manson, Archie, Johnny, Kelso, Lester and Mike. The hitch accommodates eight horses, and the extra pair help with a rotation.

    The geldings are between 18 and 19 hands tall, or between 6-foot to 6-foot 4-inches tall at the shoulder and weight between 1,900 to 2,200 pounds. The horses are between the 6 and 14 years old.

    The team will be pulling an original 1903 Studebaker freight wagon, weighing about 7,000 pounds. The team will also be wearing a harness reminiscent of what the great war horses would have worn, since Clydesdales are heavier and descended from war horses, similar to those seen in movies such as “Braveheart,” Bouffelout said. He said the harness is of high quality and is about 12 year old. The harness is worn about 200 days out of the year.

    When people encounter the horses in their getup, each person has a little different reaction.

    “One of the neat things for us to see is when you see grandparents bring grandkids in,” Bouffelout said. “The kids are all in awe of how big the horses are and how gentle the are.”

    The encounters can be more of a traditional experience for grandparents or parents to remember what it was like when they first saw the horses, then years later see their children or grandchildren have a similar experience.

    The Budweiser Clydesdales will also be shown at a private event for barley growers on Friday.