Budweiser Clydesdale Horse

Non-Traditional TMs
Written By Justin Powley
Cartoon stick figure riding a Clydesdale horse while drinking from a beer bottle – representing a blog post about the Budweiser brand and Clydesdale horse configuration mark trademark registration.

Trademark: Budweiser Clydesdale Horses

Current Owner: ANHEUSER-BUSCH, LLC [1]

Trademark Type:  non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark;

Primarily Associated With: beer [2] [3]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [4]:

What comes to mind when you see a Clydesdale horse? What about a Clydesdale horse in connection with the sale of beer? You probably recognize the word marks Budweiser, Bud Light, and the King of Beers, and even the shape and color of Budweiser bottles and cans. You probably see where we are headed here: the use of live Clydesdale horses in connection with the sale of beer is a registered trademark. Specifically, the use of “eight live Clydesdale horses hitched to a full size beer wagon carrying cases of beer with uniformed human drivers and a dog” and the use of “a live Clydesdale horse” in connection with the sale of beer are both registered trademarks. 

The Clydesdale horses were first introduced with the Budweiser brand in 1933. The horses were a gift from August Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch to their father, August Busch, Sr., to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. A team of six Clydesdales was hitched to a red, white, and gold beer wagon and surprised the elder Busch outside the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis. The sight was so well-received by the public that the horses were immediately sent on a promotional tour, including a trip to present a case of Budweiser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House.

Over the years, the Budweiser Clydesdales have become iconic mascots and are often featured and recognized in parades, television commercials, and even Super Bowl ads. The horses must meet strict criteria to qualify as Budweiser Clydesdales: they must be geldings, at least 18 hands tall (about 6ft at the shoulder), weigh around 2,000 pounds, and have a bay coat with four white stockings and a white blaze on the face. The horses travel in style between events using custom tractor-trailers outfitted with rubber flooring, air conditioning, and even cameras to monitor the horses during transport, often accompanied by a Dalmatian (traditionally a carriage dog).

Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.

[1] Anheuser-Busch, https://www.anheuser-busch.com/.

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,238,974, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78688867&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,605,052, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77389674&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[4] Horse-story In the Making: The Budweiser Clydesdales, ANHEUSER-BUSCH, available at  https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/clydesdale; Anheuser-Busch Celebrates 90 Years of the World-Famous Budweiser Clydesdales, ANHEUSER-BUSCH, posted January 18, 2023, and available at https://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/anheuser-busch-celebrates-clydesdales; How the Budweiser Clydesdales Became a Commercial Success, MENTAL FLOSS, posted January 27, 2025, and available at https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/budweiser-clydesdales-history.

Justin Powley
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