CRUEL

Anheuser-Busch to Stop Docking Tails of Budweiser Clydesdale Horses

New York, California, Washington, and seven other states already ban the practice.

The embattled Anheuser-Busch said it will stop docking the tails of its iconic Budweiser Clydesdales after animal rights activists decried the practice as cruel. Between its breweries in St. Louis and Boonville, Missouri, Budweiser owns over a hundred Clydesdales, which it has used in its commercials and promotions since 1933. People for the Ethical Treat of Animals (PETA) pushed Anheuser-Busch for months to quit snipping off the horses’ tails, citing chronic pain and problems with balance, among other issues. Several animal-rights activists across the U.S. and Europe penned a joint-letter to Anheuser-Busch earlier this month demanding they put an end to the practice, which has been performed to prevent the tail from interfering with carriage equipment and for cosmetic reasons in competitions and shows. The practice involves either surgically cutting the bone off or using a tight band to restrict blood supply so the bone falls off on its own. New York, California, Washington, and seven other states already ban the practice.