Cleveland Bay Horses

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Another way to have the “royalty feeling” is by riding the Cleveland Bay Horses. It has been said that these horses have been one of the favorites of the royal families. Until today, they are still pulling their carriages in the royal processions. They have been loved and treasured by royal families and so will you.

Cleveland Bay Horses got its name from its bay color and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire, England, where it originated from. The ancestors of the Cleveland bay horses were bred in answer to the needs of English churches ad missionaries. They needed pack horses to carry trade goods to Northeast England. They were once called “Chapman Horses” because of the travelling merchants known as “chapmen” who continued to use them. The Cleveland Bay horses we come to know of today was developed in the 17th century through the Chapman horse, Barb blood and the Thoroughbred type. In the 17th and 18th centuries, these horses became popular as a carriage horse.

But they were challenged by a much quicker breed, the Yorkshire Carriage Horse. The Cleveland Bay studbook was opened in 1884. However, they started to decline due to increased mechanization and the Great Depression in the 1930’s. It continued on until 1962, wherein only four purebred stallions were left. To prevent is extinction, Queen Elizabeth II bought the Mulgrave Supreme, a stallion that was about to be sold to a United States buyer. Through this stallion, pure bred and part bred mares were developed and within 15 years, UK already had 36 purebred stallions. From then on, they have been used in various competitions. The British Cleveland Bay Horse Society has maintained a registry for part-bred horses and Queen Elizabeth has been the society’s patron ever since 1977.

They stand between 16 and 16.2 hands high. They have large heads, and long well-muscled necks, and sloping shoulders. They have high stamina and are very good jumpers. They are quick, calm and wise.

Cleveland Bay horses are always versatile as they have been used in various tasks such as driving; farm work, hunting, royal carriages, show jumping, and so many others. They have also been used in developing other breeds like the Oldenburgh, Holstein, and Hanoverian. It was also crossed with Thoroughbreds to create the Yorkshire Coach Horse; and with French and Belgian draft horses so a Russian breed could be created.