A team of the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdale draft horses is expected to arrive in St. Joseph later today for a full weekend of appearances.

The eight-horse hitch team will be stabled tonight through Sunday in a 100-foot by 60-foot tent on Francis Street, between 10th and 11th streets, said Bruce Nichols, operations manager for O’Malley Beverage, local distributor of Anheuser-Busch products. The Clydesdales are entered in Saturday’s Apple Blossom Parade and will appear for the entire Sunday schedule of the Sea Power Edition of the Sound of Speed Airshow, said Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Tanya Kath.

Lead-hitch driver Pete Petersen will be in charge of the team, which is expected to arrive in the city early this afternoon.

“We’re over here in Boonville, Mo., right now,� Mr. Petersen told the News-Press. “We’ve got all our prep work done.� The Boonville area is the site of one of four traveling hitch teams, plus a state-of-the-art Clydesdale breeding facility the company opened in 2009.

The iconic horses’ St. Joseph stay also includes an appearance Friday night at the Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest.

The Clydesdales will appear toward the front of the Apple Blossom Parade lineup, pulling the familiar red-white-and gold 1903 Studebaker-built beer wagon that also features a Dalmatian dog. Mr. Nichols said it will mark the first time the horses have participated in the Apple Blossom Parade.

The public will have opportunities to visit the horses during the day Friday and again on Saturday after the parade, he added, once they are taken back to the tent.

The Budweiser Clydesdales have symbolized Anheuser-Busch for more than 75 years, according to company information. They were formally introduced in 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition for beer.

Horses that qualify for the team stand 6 feet at the shoulder when fully mature and weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds.

A hitch of Clydesdales once delivered a case of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. Their travels today take them throughout North America and occasionally overseas — logging about 100,000 miles a year.

The brewery has more than 200 of the horses in its stables.

Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com, The Associated Press contributed information to this story.