The Cleveland Bay is England’s oldest breed of horse with a history that goes beyond a time when records were kept. It is an incredibly versatile horse that can turn its hoof to all disciplines, a legacy of its need to adapt through the ages to the changing face of civilisation. It is a horse with substance, activity, stamina and a temperament that is unsurpassed by any other breed of horse. A brief explanation of its origins also explains its durability.
In the middle ages in the county of Yorkshire there was a race of clean legged horses, bay in colour which were the general purpose horses of their time that is to say for pack and pillion work. They had always been there for the people but nobody could map out their past.
They carried the goods of the Chapmen (Travelling Salesmen) and as a result initially became known as Chapman horses. The name Cleveland bay developed later as their colour and their association with the Cleveland district of North Yorkshire linked together.
Coaches were not known until the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first and the Cleveland Bay with its natural strength, activity and endurance was well suited to pull the first heavy vehicles. The Chapman therefore was developed to this new role to add to its growing list of attributes as the people of Yorkshire by now already used the Cleveland Bay to plough the land, pull their Carts, take them hunting and of course take them to church.
A few like minded enthusiasts formed the Cleveland Bay Horse Society (CBHS) in 1884 to preserve and promote the breed and that role is still carried out by the CBHS today.
At this time the breed experienced a renaissance particularly from the United States of America and over the next few decades literally thousands of horses with Cleveland bay blood were exported to the USA. For many years the dark days of the 1880’s were forgotten the breed was in demand, Coaching once again became popular, this time as a pastime rather than a need, and the breed flourished.
The Coaching era however was short lived and demand in the USA dwindled in part because of punitive taxation. By the early 1900’s the breed was once more in decline, a matter made worse then by the first world war where many Cleveland’s were lost on the battlefields of France having adapted well to the role of artillery horses potentially sealing their own fate.
Fortunately Her Majesty the Queen gave the breed a great boost. Her Majesty’s Grandfather had been a breeder of Cleveland bays in the 1920’s and in true family tradition the Queen stepped in at the breeds darkest hour to purchase a pure Cleveland Bay colt named Mulgrave Supreme who was born in 1961 and had been earmarked for export.
As the breed became popular again many different types of mare were put to Cleveland bay stallions and the historic versatility of the breed once again shone through. It was not long before the breed started to produce top quality horses notably in Driving, Dressage and Show jumping, the latter two disciplines having horses produced to Olympic standards.
There are Cleveland Bays competing once again in every conceivable discipline. The versatility of the Cleveland bay is once again being discovered by a new generation of horse owners and the breed is going from strength to strength.
The Cleveland bay has an incredible history – it undeniably has an even greater future.
Nigel Cowgil-author
In the middle ages in the county of Yorkshire there was a race of clean legged horses, bay in colour which were the general purpose horses of their time that is to say for pack and pillion work. They had always been there for the people but nobody could map out their past.
They carried the goods of the Chapmen (Travelling Salesmen) and as a result initially became known as Chapman horses. The name Cleveland bay developed later as their colour and their association with the Cleveland district of North Yorkshire linked together.
Coaches were not known until the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first and the Cleveland Bay with its natural strength, activity and endurance was well suited to pull the first heavy vehicles. The Chapman therefore was developed to this new role to add to its growing list of attributes as the people of Yorkshire by now already used the Cleveland Bay to plough the land, pull their Carts, take them hunting and of course take them to church.
A few like minded enthusiasts formed the Cleveland Bay Horse Society (CBHS) in 1884 to preserve and promote the breed and that role is still carried out by the CBHS today.
At this time the breed experienced a renaissance particularly from the United States of America and over the next few decades literally thousands of horses with Cleveland bay blood were exported to the USA. For many years the dark days of the 1880’s were forgotten the breed was in demand, Coaching once again became popular, this time as a pastime rather than a need, and the breed flourished.
The Coaching era however was short lived and demand in the USA dwindled in part because of punitive taxation. By the early 1900’s the breed was once more in decline, a matter made worse then by the first world war where many Cleveland’s were lost on the battlefields of France having adapted well to the role of artillery horses potentially sealing their own fate.
Fortunately Her Majesty the Queen gave the breed a great boost. Her Majesty’s Grandfather had been a breeder of Cleveland bays in the 1920’s and in true family tradition the Queen stepped in at the breeds darkest hour to purchase a pure Cleveland Bay colt named Mulgrave Supreme who was born in 1961 and had been earmarked for export.
As the breed became popular again many different types of mare were put to Cleveland bay stallions and the historic versatility of the breed once again shone through. It was not long before the breed started to produce top quality horses notably in Driving, Dressage and Show jumping, the latter two disciplines having horses produced to Olympic standards.
There are Cleveland Bays competing once again in every conceivable discipline. The versatility of the Cleveland bay is once again being discovered by a new generation of horse owners and the breed is going from strength to strength.
The Cleveland bay has an incredible history – it undeniably has an even greater future.
Nigel Cowgil-author