- Cleveland Bay -

The Cleveland Bay is one of the oldest original breeds of British horses, dating back to the Middle Ages. They were developed in the Cleveland district of Yorkshire and originated from the Chapman Horse, which was named after the Chapmen (traveling salesmen). The Chapman Horse was a small, sturdily built horse with great strength in pulling.

One of the most important features of the Chapman Horse was that it had clean legs with no feathering. This made them ideal for working in the heavy clay areas of Cleveland. The Cleveland Bay undoubtedly  developed from the Chapman Horse, and Barb blood was likely introduced during the 17th century. Cleveland Bays owe a debt to some horses of a Thoroughbred type, too. Two of these Thoroughbred stallions were Jalep, the grandson of the famous Godolphin Arabian, and Manica, son of the Darley Arabian.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Cleveland Bay was popular as a carriage horse. However, as the quicker Yorkshire Carriage Horse was developed, this breed was picked on as being too slow, and the Yorkshire Carriage Horse challenged their position as top carriage horse. The Yorkshire Carriage Horse was developed through crossing Cleveland Bays with Thoroughbreds.

In 1884, the Cleveland Bay studbook was opened to try to maintain the breed, but by 1962 numbers had dwindled to the point where there were only four breeding stallions left. At this point, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II bought one of the stallions, Mulgrave Supreme, who was then sent to stud to try to re-establish the breed. Since then the breed's numbers have increased, in great part due to the continued patronage of the royal family.  The royal stables use the Cleveland Bays as carriage horses. They also make very good heavy-weight hunters and riding horses. They have been used widely to improve other breeds. This breed of horse has a very calm, sensible temperament, although can be quite lively when required.

Cleveland Bays are large, powerful horses with a lot of quality. They have a large, Spanish-style head with a muscular, arched neck. The shoulders and chest are very muscular and strong, which is typical of a carriage horse. They have long, straight backs with very powerful hindquarters. They have short legs, which, as mentioned earlier, are bereft of feathering. The only acceptable color is bay, and no white other than a small star on the fact is allowed. They stand around 16.2 hh.

Return to Horse Breeds page