Like most horse people, I eagerly (or should I say eagley) await their Super Bowl ads, enjoying how they highlight their magnificent Clydesdales. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but that’s beside the point. Readers of my blog will remember Zelda, my half Clydesdale-half Thoroughbred mare. Zelda was smart, opinionated, and once she trusted you, she was in your corner. When she ran, the earth would shake. She loved all small creatures—incredibly gentle with children and small animals, reining in her bulk with a care that still amazes me when I think about it. I love to celebrate the breed and all they stand for within the horse world. The Budweiser Clydesdales have been ambassadors for draft horses for generations, and this ad reminds us why they’ve endured as symbols. They represent something authentic about America—hardworking, powerful, and surprisingly tender.
The 2026 American Icons ad doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I think it’s the best one they’ve produced in years. The dramatic footage of Zeus, Clydesdale, and Lincoln, the Eagle, is real. No CGI, no tricks, no computer magic. Just a 28-year-old rescued bald eagle launching from the back of a jumping Clydesdale as if the horse had grown wings. Even the farmers featured at the end of the ad are real barley farmers. The result? An emotional gut punch that has all of us saying we have sun in our eyes, not tears.
And yes, Lynard Skynyrd’s Free Bird as the soundtrack is inspired.
The ad celebrates Budweiser’s 150th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Joining two iconic symbols into an emotional performance that yes, had me choking up. Since its release on January 26th, it’s racked up more than 50 million views — and the Super Bowl hasn’t even been played yet.
Lincoln’s Story
Hatched in 1998 at the AEF’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, Lincoln was raised by parents Liberty and Justice as part of the organization’s breeding program (the Bald Eagle was on the endangered species list until 2007). Though he was released twice, he was unable to forage efficiently—famously scavenging food in Indiana and Michigan—leading to his recapture. He then became an educational ambassador and was trained to become the mascot of the Philadelphia Eagles. Lincoln typically flies at their home games. He now lives with 17 other eagles at the American Eagle Foundation in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
The filming was supervised by experts and permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A Fourth-Generation Farmer’s Moment
The ad also features Brian Fransen, a fourth-generation barley farmer from Coleharbor, North Dakota—a small city with a population of less than 100, located about 62 miles north of Bismarck. Fransen was harvesting barley when Budweiser invited him to be part of the shoot.
“My great-grandfather emigrated over from Sweden to Coleharbor, North Dakota,” Fransen told KFYR. “It meant a lot to me that Budweiser wanted to get a real farmer, a real barley farmer from the plains of North Dakota out to shoot a Super Bowl commercial here.”
Even though he only gets about a second of airtime during the commercial, Fransen hopes the ad will remind Americans—and folks around the world—of the importance and impact of farmers and those who work in agriculture.
“The title of the commercial is ‘American Icons,’ and what better icon than a Clydesdale, a bald eagle, and a farmer who literally works with this American soil to make his living,” he said.
In an age where everything feels manufactured, polished, and run through filters, I like that Budweiser went old school. Real animals, real farmer, real story. No AI shortcuts. That kind of commitment to authenticity matters, especially in the horse world where we know the difference between genuine horsemanship and window dressing.
The “American Icons” ad will air nationally during Super Bowl LX and is already available on Budweiser’s YouTube and social channels. Whether you’re a beer drinker or not, it’s worth a watch—if only to see what happens when a brand trusts that real is better than fake, and that sometimes the oldest stories are the ones that hit home hardest.