CLEVELAND BAY HISTORY

As its name suggests, the Cleveland Bay emanates from the Cleveland area of North East England.  Without doubt it is Britains oldest breed of horse and has been fixed in type much longer than the Society's foundation date suggests.

 The church played a very large role in their breeding.  Throughout the middle ages the Monastic houses in the North East were the principal breeders of horses.  Pack horses were needed for the trading of goods between the various Abbeys and Monasteries.

Most certainly the ancestors of todays Cleveland Bays, particularly on the female side, were such pack horses bred in the Yorkshire Dales.  Locally they were known as Chapman horses, the name being derived from the name given to packmen and itinerant pedlars of those days ie "Chapmen".

There was an influx of barb horses into the port of Whitby.  These were used on Chapman mares.

Before the end of the 17^th Century the main ingredient of the Cleveland Bay, the Chapman, and the Barb had come together to mould the type of powerful horse whose popularity as a pack/harness horse was beginning to spread beyond the North East.

 The next century saw an increase in weight and size of these horses - better feeding being one of the reasons.  The result was a quality versatile horse which found many uses away from the Monasteries as agricultural horses drawing carts and waggons of various types.

 A demand for faster carriage horses resulted in some breeders crossing their Clevelands with strong Thoroughbreds.

 Their off-spring were known as the Yorkshire Coach Horse a tall elegant carriage horse, much in demand by the rich and royal.

 The late 18^th Century was the golden age of carriage driving.  Yorkshire Coach Horses were exported all over the world to provide matched pairs and teams.

 During the height of the London season, hundreds of pairs of Yorkshire Coach Horses could be seen in Hyde Park every afternoon.

 To this day one may still detect the two types of Cleveland - the smaller, resembling the Chapman, and the taller resembling the Yorkshire Coach Horses.  Both nevertheless retain the bone and substance of their ancestors.

 The coming of the motor car and tractor put an end to the need for Cleveland Bays.  They went into decline.  Many were sold abroad.

 A few dedicated breeders in the North East kept the breed alive.

QUALITIES

The Pure-Bred Cleveland Bay is a very intelligent horse with a sensible temperament.  They possess a strong character which, if mishandled can be spoiled.

 They have plenty of bone and substance, are hardy, long lived and have tremendous stamina.

 Characteristically the breed is very bold and honest.  They are always bay in colour their action is level, free and long striding.

 They are an established breed and so breed true to type.  Their characteristics and traits are passed on to their progeny.  This makes them an ideal out-cross.

 America, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand and many other countries have imported Cleveland Bays to improve their native stock.

 May European Warmbloods, particularly the Gelderlander, Oldenburg, Holstein, and Hanoverian owe much to the Cleveland Bay influence.  Some European and Baltic draught horses such as the Russian Vladimir and Danish Schienswig have the benefit of Cleveland blood.

 VERSATILITY

Perhaps the Cleveland's greatest advantage is its versatility.

Early Clevelands were versatile pack and harness horses.  The present day Cleveland is equally versatile in relation to the modern equine disciplines.

This has been proved by a Pure Bred Stallion who has been performance tested by the National Stallion Association.  The test includes dressage, show jumping, and cross country phases.

As carriage and driving horses they remain unsurpassed.  For this purpose a good number are kept at the Royal Mews.  Teams of Clevelands can be seen competing in FEI driving trials.  Many are driven as singles and in pairs purely for pleasure.

They make ideal heavy weight hunters for the field, and can be exhibited in the show ring either as in-hand, ridden or working hunters.

As sound active horses with substance, stamina and a good temperament they make excellent police horses.

The ability to break a Cleveland Bay to saddle and harness makes this breed invaluable to all round enthusiast to whom one horse can be all things!

INTERESTED IN CLEVELAND BAY

Some breeders prefer to sell their stock privately.  Occasionally Clevelands can be found through adverts placed in equine publications such as "Horse & Hound".  However, the Society will be pleased to supply you with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of members who breed Pure Bred Cleveland Bays.  The Society holds an annual sale run in conjunction with the HIS.  This is held in September at York, North Yorkshire.  Catalogues are available in advance.

If you already own a Pure-Bred Cleveland Bay, please make sure it is registered with this Society. A Cleveland is a valuable horse and it is important the Society is aware of its existence.  Registration with other bodies should not replace registration with the Cleveland Bay Horse Society.  Entry of a Pure-Bred Cleveland Bay in the stud book adds to a horses intrinsic value.  If registration with the British Horse Database is required to facilitate eligibility for competitions, this can be arranged through the Society by the overstamping of Society registration documents.

Even if you do not own a Cleveland Bay you can support this wonderful British breed by becoming a member of the Society.  Your attendance at meetings and involvement in social activities will be most welcome. 

Further details on sales, registration and membership can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, J F Stephenson Esq.

 THE BRITISH HORSE WITH A HISTORY AND A FUTURE

THE FOLLOWING  WAS PRESENTED TO THE BREED CONFERENCE IN APRIL OF 2000 BY NIGEL COWGILL. IT IS PART OF A FUTURE WORK ON THE HISTORY OF THE BREED AND MUST NOT BE REPRODUCED, IN ANY FORM, WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF NIGEL COWGIL. It has been scanned and we apologise in advance for any errors in format.

Chapman, Packhorse, Coach horse. New Cleveland Bay and Yorkshire Coach horse, are all descriptors that have been used over the past three centuries to describe horses which instead might just as easily have been referred to, at least by the general public, as being Cleveland Bays.

These alternative names are part of a complex picture which is hard to accurately compile mainly because of the lack of tangible records at the time when the breed probably evolved into what we now recognise as the Cleveland Bay.

When assembling a history of the breed we need to keep an open mind so that we can take into account some of the
substantial changes that the breed has clearly and continuously endured over the past few centuries even though we may not be able to identify turning points by actual date or specific event.

Despite the undoubted changes and one central theme that the breed has stared extinction in the face several times in the past. the breed has always come out of the other end of whatever particular conflict it faced, possibly slightly altered in its composition having adapted to change, but it has lived to fight another day and this incredible resilience and ability to adapt is one of the breeds greatest strengths. It is maybe something in its character that we all underestimate.

It has survived such issues as the coming of the railway, the demise of the horse in war, the coming of the motor car and the dominance of the tractor these two later factors particularly, marking the end of the horse as a commercial and agricultural
commodity.

In addition, the breed has survived the recurring theme of prejudice against it. a theme that is sadly still prevalent on
occasions today.

Not only has the Cleveland Bay suffered changes in its name. but it has also been subject to variations in height and elements of its colour.

On the height front, a comparison of breed standards through the ages shows alteration from a packhorse standing probably at around 15 hands to a carriage horse standing at least two hands taller.

Some aspects of its colour have virtually disappeared such as a black dorsal stripe, black spots on the body and black zebra like stripes on the arms. All of these features were at one time trademarks of the Cleveland Bay. but now they only rarely appear as an occasional throwback to history.

Other aspects of colour have changed with the fashion or prejudice of the day.

For example, comparatively recently the horse's actual shade of bay from bright bay through to dark bay. was not only specified, but a preference for brighter shades had been stipulated in the breed standard. The thomy question of white hair has also varied in its permitted form. a few white hair in heels and coronet were at one time permitted. Unfortunately nobody appears to have kept the horses up to date on these essential requirements!

History also indicates that there have been variations of use concerning the breed so that different types of Cleveland have been associated with doing different things. Some strains have been famed for their weight carrying capacity as packhorses whilst others have been associated with their use as a Coach horse. This latter point leading on to the sometimes inseparable link between the Cleveland Bay and the Yorkshire Coach horse, which I will deal with in due course.

The variations I describe whilst of some antiquity can still be seen in the breed today and a comparison of stallions at the annual King George V competition highlights the point quite well.

So where do we start with the origins of the breed, what sort of horse has it been and what is its relationship with today's Cleveland Bay?

One way to tackle these issues is to compare what was written at the time of the breed's evolution through history with the retrospective look that took place at the end of the 19^th century when the compilation of the first Cleveland Bay Horse Society stud book commenced and the Society was created,

Many breeds of horses can be dated by specific events. The Clydesdale is a good example of this as it was created at a
particular time for a specific purpose by particular individuals (and incidentally was undoubtedly beholden to the Cleveland Bay for at least part of its ancestry).

Others such as the Germans as you would expect, kept meticulous records about the breeding of their horses, in particular the Oldenberg, until they were destroyed in a fire! But what of our breed, who kept the records and when and where were they kept?

Unfortunately the simple answer is nobody did. or to be more accurate nobody kept particular records.

What we have inherited, is a situation where we can say that before the late IS¹¹¹ century little is known of our breed's origins. However we can say with absolute certainty, because of the number of references to it when recording these matters took on more importance, that the breed certainly existed, but in a very English way. everybody knew that, so there was no need to go into specific detail.

This lack of recording over the years has lead to all manner of speculation about the breed's origins but speculation is all it can be.

These theories have ranged from the breed being the result of an elaborate system of crossing carting mares with
thoroughbred blood to the supposed use on the native mares of the region of Andalusian stallions imported into Whitby in the middle ages.

We do know that there have undoubtedly been horses in these Islands since time immemorial, some breeds sadly no longer exist and some are an amalgam or development of earlier known breeds.

Where these breeds originated or how they developed, can now only be the subject of debate and the issue of which other breeds may have influenced their evolution is unfortunately a matter only for idle discussion.

We know that Boedecia utilised strong and active horses to pull her Chariots at the time of the Roman invasion and the
invaders were admirers of the then native breeds. Is it fair to assume that these chariots were not pulled by ponies and if they were not what was the breeding of the horses that were used. were they Cleveland Bays?

William Scarth Dixon. a prolific writer on the breed expressed the view that there was an ancient link between the Romans and the Cleveland Bay. He claimed that the Crispinian Roman legion based at Doncaster. was mounted on Barb stallions and that this infusion of blood when put to the local breed explained much of its development.

Dixon also speculated on a link between the sadly now extinct Devonshire Pack horse and the Cleveland Bay saying that their similarity, save for the fact that the Devonshire had white legs. was down to the fact that they both derived from a Barb cross. In the former case this being due to the import of stallions into Devon and Cornwall when the tin trade was in its infancy.

Contrary to popular belief, there was no Cleveland Bay Horse Society during the Roman occupation although I can sense some of you wondering if some of our policies date from then. but in reality we have no records that assist us in considering how the breed that went on to influence so many other breeds over many centuries in many different countries and continents evolved.

But the breed must have come from somewhere?

The easiest way to describe the origins of the Cleveland Bay is the coward's way out. and I will gladly take that route. That is to say that the foundation of the Cleveland Bay must be. that it was the breed that was indigenous to the soil in the area that was then known as Cleveland. This area was recognised for centuries as having the leading edge in the breeding of horses but this of course was before such issues as the boundary commission and local government confused the geography of the area we would now probably identify as part of the counties of North Yorkshire and Durham.

What we cannot say is what the role of the Cleveland Bay was during the Norman invasion, or the Crusades, or whether it played a part in Cromwell's New Model Army during the English Civil War.

What we can say is that there appears to have existed for as long as can reasonably be recalled, an indigenous horse which was bay in colour, with black legs. mane and tail. which many men claimed was kept pure. Whether this is as we would understand the term pure. I cannot say. as the feasibility of that raises many other issues.

If we now try to be more specific to consider a date that we can work from and bearing in mind my task is to consider the past three hundred years, we need to aim for the period commencing with the start of the 18^th century and really put more distant history behind us.

Even at this point in time, records concerning horse breeding were kept in a very slip shod way and the reasons for this can be highlighted as follows;

0 Actual breeds of horses were irrelevant to most men. it being type or the use to which they were put that mattered.
Horses were described by that use i.e.; Packhorse, Coach horse. Cart horse etc.

Q Very few people were interested in the finer points of breeding such as who the horse's paternal grandparent was. Of
those who were, very few recorded it, relying upon memory and notoriety of particular horses although to be fair. I
suppose there was less to confuse in those possibly more simplistic days

a Horses were very often named after their sires. For example a successful stallion would have numerous offspring all
bearing his name which did little to assist in avoiding later confusion and establish their true breeding.

a Alternatively the prefix Young or Old was added to a stallion's name to distinguish him from his offspring.

a Many names were extremely common for example in Cleveland terms the names Lucks All and Sportsman are part of a
recurring theme which is easily spotted in the Cleveland Bay Horse Society Centenary Studbook.

0 In fact of the 581 stallions listed in Volume one of that book. 188 of them share only 25 names between them

a Names also went in and out of favour so that a great national event such as a military success would be marked by numerous horses being named Victory and in a later example of this trend continuing there was a dearth of General Gordons following his exploits in the Sudan. What are the chances of the right horse being linked to the correct ancestor sometimes decades later? Errors have undoubtedly been made.

Q Mare's identity and breeding mattered little in the breeding process. Often these details were not even recorded or if they were the Mare was very often referred to by the name of the sire. for example the Marske mare was a daughter of the stallion Marske

a Sometimes a horse was named after the person who kept it for example Earl's horse. Boyes horse. What if Mr Earl or
Mr Boyes owned several horses in a lifetime all bv different stallions out of different mares how would you verify their
bloodlines?

Q Just to add further confusion, men lied. embroidered or were genuinely mistaken about their horses breeding and who
could check?

Q Horses that changed hands also changed their identity at the same time so that the same horse could be known by three or
four names. The stallion King George 1V(CB163) was seventeen when he acquired this name as a replacement for
Agar's Rainbow (CB246) by which he had formerly been known.

a Some horses just appear to have had several names such as that famous Cleveland Bay. the Hob Hill horse, alias
Weatherills horse alias Farmers Glory !(CB316)

The fact is that all of these issues conspire together to make any attempt to be too specific about the breed impossible. All we can do is log the information we do have to try and establish as many credentials as we can and where possible look for corroboration.

In reality the days are long gone when the breed's ancestry could truly be established in a forensic way, all we can do is look at the evidence to try and discover the origins of the breed.

What we can say is that in the 1700's The Cleveland Bay, or as it was then more likely to have been called, the Chapman, appears to have been the earliest example of a general utility horse, a jack of all trades, all things to all people. A horse that was clean limbed with ample bone. A horse that could be used to pull a carriage when the quality of road construction was poor and surefooted horses were essential, one that could plough the lighter soils without the need to employ the heavier draught breeds, one that could cany substantial weight on its back. One that would still be able to carry a farmer to market or church, or even to hunt.

There clearly must have been variations within this breed just as there are now but the breed's adaptability seems beyond doubt.

The Chapman was not just confined to the Cleveland area as derivatives also existed in at least Northumbria. There is also little doubt that whilst its existence as a breed was fiercely protected by its breeders, it would be classed by many as a type of horse rather than a breed. These horses were in particular used to carry loads by the Chapmen, the travelling tradesmen of their day after whom they were named.

They were also used in a wider commercial role being involved in several industries where the requirement for a weight carrier was essential. Alexander Mackay Smith writing in the 1930's speculated on their involvement in the wool and cotton trades in West Yorkshire which geographically at least seems very likely.

This use as a weight carrier supports the view that the breed was most likely designed to enable easy loading. Height and length of back probably reflected this specific need.

The name Cleveland Bay appeared as a relatively recent development at this time. The only explanation for its replacing Chapman as a title that can be advanced, is that the Cleveland Bay's colour and location fell into preferred use among those who travelled to the area to buy these horses and the new name stuck however it was still referred to as the Chapman in some areas at least up until the middle of the 19^th century.

Our ancestors were very proud of their horses and were very protective towards them.

You will know that in the middle of the 18^th century the trend to import Arab and Barb stallions, which had commenced as a trickle some time earlier, started to gather momentum.

The arrival of such horses as the Darley Arab into Yorkshire and the Godolphin Barb saw a new era emerge in horse breeding. Many saw this development as a positive step whilst others were extremely prejudiced against any infusion of this blood. These horses and others like them were put to mares described as Yorkshire Gallowers to develop the thoroughbred breed. It was certainly the opinion of at least one expert on the Cleveland Bay. Major Jack Fairfax Blakeborough that these Gallowers were ancestors of the Cleveland Bay and that this explains the positive results that occur when the two breeds are
merged by breeding.

The Cleveland breeder's claim was that their horses were clear of this eastern blood.

FREE FROM BLACK OR BLOOD

It is not exactly clear when the claim that the Cleveland Bay or Chapman was free from " taint of black or blood "was made. but what can be said is that the claim was certainly made repeatedly within 50 years or so of the death of the Godolphin Barb in 1753. he of course being one of the Eastern imports whose blood the saying decries.

Whoever started the saying had of course the same reference library and statistical information that we have today about the breed during this period i.e.: no details at all. So it was a very brave claim to make. However the claim gathered momentum and by the time we get to the turn of the 19^th century it was well established in Folklore.

The Blood we have identified as eastern imported blood such as that from the Darlev Arab.or the Godolphin Barb. but what of Black?

At about this time there were several Carthorse breeds whom it must be said were treated with total contempt and derision with few positive words to be found about any of them. There is no evidence at all to suggest that these breeds in anyway impregnated the Cleveland Bay which is probably a good thing as one in particular, the Lincolnshire Black, I have read described as " heavy and completely misshapen with a great fiddle case in place of a head "
Although in fact the claim that the Cleveland Bay was free from blood was maintained right up to and beyond the publication of the first stud book in 1884. in reality the opposite was true and in the years following that publication there followed a slow and painful recognition of this fact finally acknowledged in pnnt by Sir Alfred Pease in Volume 17 of the Studbook.

In compiling the first stud book William Scarth Dixon and the editing committee had relied in part on this fact and on the evidence of people such as Mr Lumley Hodgson who supported it.

Mr Hodgson was bom in 1807 and had developed into a living legend of the horse world by the 1880's. He had some connection with the Cleveland Bay horse, having owned several over the years and in addition he stood the stallion Salesman (272) (who as you would expect was also known as Prince Bismarck!). He claimed he could still recall the old Chapman horses that were bred in the East Moor dales long before the arrival of the thoroughbred and that these Chapman horses were kept free from that blood.

connected with the Coaching era. but that is as far as it went. up to that point, the original breed was pure.

What actually happened is that it seems that by the middle of the 18'¹' century many of the eastern imports or their offspring became available at quite reasonable rates in the home county and the owners of the then Chapman mares did not miss the opportunity to use these stallions.

Subsequent investigation revealed several blood horse as being extensively used on Chapman mares at that time and the one thread that appears to run through them is the fact that they were recognised as animals of extreme quality.

Old Traveller was one of the main horses used. He is described in the General Stud Book as being the winner'of many plates. He was owned by a Mr Osbaldeston and was foaled in 173 5.He was a Bay Colt although one grandparent was grey in colour and he was a grandson of the Dariey Arabian who to complete the picture was 15 hands and had a white foot!

Other horses that were of some considerable influence include Jalap who was a grandson of the Godolphin Barb and a Gold Cup winner. Jalap was the grandsire of the Cleveland Bay Victory (CB438) who was foaled sometime around the turn of the 19^th century.

Manica was another horse that asserted great influence at this time. He was by the Dariey Arabian .His influence on the Cleveland Bay is best described by the analysis undertaken by Sir Alfred Pease of the horse Sportsman (CB 299) who was a highly respected Cleveland Bay Stallion in the later part of the 19'¹' century. Sportsman had at least 70 strains of Manica in his pedigree.

Another influential Cleveland Bay this time with a direct link to the blood of the Godolphin barb is the horse Nailor (CB208). His grandfather was Scaramouch, who in turn was a grandson of the Godolphin barb. Scaramouch was undoubtedly a blood horse but nevertheless is registered in Volume one of the Cleveland Bav Studbook as (CB543). Nailer's offspring can be followed through the Centenary Studbook via his sons Nailor (CB209) and Nailor (CB210) which highlights his influence towards the end of the 19'¹' century.

Ironically it was William Scarth Dixon. the first editor of the Cleveland Bay Studbook. in a book published in 1924 entitled 'The Influence of Racing and the Thoroughbred Horse on Light Horse Breeding "which revealed the fact that 64 thoroughbred horses appear in the pedigrees that form the basis for volume one of the Cleveland Bay Studbook. That of the 567 horses registered in that retrospective volume no less than 288 have thoroughbred blood in direct line.

What this information shows is that from the middle of the 18^th century several Chapman mares were put to the blood horses that were finding favour at that time. The horses that appear to have had the greatest influence were quality animals such as Manica and Jalap.The offspring of these matings were then kept within the breed and the breed then continued as before absorbing the outcross but probably improving in quality as a result of it. In the light of this it is not suprising that variations within the breed started to develop and it is not hard to imagine how some horses that were lighter became potential carriage horses.

As part of this mixture.the modem Cleveland Bay does have its own founders from around this period just like the
thoroughbred and it has long been recognised that Dart (CB84). Barley Harvest (CB447) and Farmers Glory alias The Hob Hill horse etc (CB316) fill similar positions in the Cleveland Bay breed to those of the eastern imports in the thoroughbred .Unfortunately, little is actually known of any of their breeding highlighting the point I made earlier concerning the existence of records.

The Hob Hill horse is probably the most famous of the group although none of his pedigree has survived- but that has not stopped speculation that he may have been distantly related to Traveller as they came from the same region, i.e.; Arm in Cleveland-

The Hob Hill Horse was probably foaled in the last decade of the 18^th century because a grandson of his. Barnaby (CB15). was foaled in 1808.

Tradition tells us that he was once shown with six of his sons at Guisborough and that his owner offered to bet that a white hair could not be found on any of the seven horses.

This prejudice against white hair in this way in the Cleveland Bay breed has its roots deep in history and it seems to have been accepted as a more valid test of parentage than actual knowledge of the horses pedigree. In reality nobody appears to have known who the Hob Hill horse was by or out of, but the fact he had no white hair immediately overcame that issue and his purity is accepted !

Whilst there was no DNA and methods of parental testing were thin on the ground to say the least there were plenty of buyers waiting for mismarked horses at fairs such as Northallerton and Guisborough who were more than happy to acquire those at a reduced rate.

If we return back to a chronological approach we had reached the period around the end of the 18^th century.

This period is also crucial in the history of the breed because it was at about this time that comments on the breed were being committed to paper for the first time. In 1788 for example. William Marshall spoke of the Chapman horse or Coach horse, which he described as a tall oversized hunter.

This period also marked the recognised crossing of the breed with the thoroughbred to create a Coach horse that could fully utilise the improvements that had taken place in the area of road construction.

Mr Lumley Hodgson identified this fundamental change in the breed and he associated the demise of the Chapman as he knew it with its crossing to develop the Yorkshire Coach horse. He described this as a despicable act aimed at producing the fashion of the time which was to create horses over 17 hands to pull the most desirable forms of transport of their day the

Regency Coach. Mr Hodgson claimed that this crossing lead to the breed being diluted in identity and brought the onset of diseases such as roaring which he claimed had been unknown within the breed up to that point.

Other writers of the time notably Professor Lowe. William Youatt and Martin Doyle, started to pen their views on the breed and this detail confirms the view that the breed was long established at this time because the writers of this era usually speak of the breed in terms of antiquity and of quality and also of the fact that in numeric terms it was hard to find.

In reality most of the equine publications of this time make some reference to the Cleveland Bay and it is usually a reference to a horse that was prized for its quality particularly as the foundation for a Coach horse and it was a sought after commodity albeit a scarce one.

Another early reference to the breed appeared in Farmers Magazine in 1823 when the writer said that the Cleveland Bay was an original breed of the country with neither black nor blood and that it was a distinct race apart from the thoroughbred and the various breeds of Cart horse. It was the basis for the London Coach horse and that the breed nearly became extinct because of the fashion to breed lighter horses for carriages until " its excellence for agricultural purposes was noticed by some practical farmers in the North of England who for several years back have been exerting themselves to revive the breed".

One of the most famous, often quoted and earliest references to the breed, is that of a Mr Lloyd who having acquired a Cleveland stallion in the 1820's to improve his Gloucestershire cart mares, wrote of his experience .

His comments were as follows:

''When old Cleveland was at his full size he measured 16.71.5hds high

He was 9 3/8 round the pastern

lOinch below the knee and 21 inches round the arm

He was 15 5/8 round the knee and 6' 10 round the girth

An exceptionally powerful horse".

However back on the roads, the change identified by Lumley Hodgson was starting to take effect and the previous 50 years

had by now totally confused the general public as to what in fact was a Cleveland Bay. The expression New Cleveland Bay had found favour to describe everything that had any amount of Cleveland blood it its veins and with the continued emergence of the Coach horse as a part bred Cleveland with one or more crosses of blood to increase its potential speed the name Yorkshire Coach Horse also began to emerge.

The public probably were not all that bothered what you called the horse that provided their transport and some of the breeders were not all that bothered about continuing using the Cleveland as the foundation of the Coach horse. Stallions of different colours started being used. particularly greys, until a fashion change once again saw a return to the original bay
foundation.

In reality there were several grades of Yorkshire Coach horse graded by how far removed they were from their Cleveland inheritance. The first grade was effectively at least three quarter bred Cleveland and the last grade was at least three quarter bred blood.

Whilst the Cleveland Breeders were allegedly keeping their breed free from black or blood- or so they thought, the Coachers were developing the blood side of their newly acclaimed breed. By the deliberate inbreeding to two half brothers Paulinus and Ebor they developed the breed along bloodlines and one would have thought that the breeds would become more and more distinct. However as we move well into the 19^th century the distinction between the breeds was still blurred in the public's eye and this is evidenced by a situation that developed in 1849.

The Oldenburg breeders decided that they needed the benefits of the Cleveland Bay to effect improvements on their breed. To do this they imported four stallions which they proudly acclaimed as being first rate Cleveland bays. Unfortunately my research shows that their favourite Cleveland was in fact a half bred Yorkshire Coach horse. Lucks All (YCH283) as whilst he shared this common name with many of his pure bred cousins, he was in fact by the thoroughbred Bay President, although his dam was by the pure bred Golden Pippin (CB399)

This raises the point that if great horse breeders such as those who administered the Oldenburg breed could not tell the difference is it any surprise that confusion reigned.

It was at this time claimed, that the nearer you got to York then the more crosses of blood and the lighter in bone the horse became and these new Cleveland Bays also attracted the name Howdenshire Clevelands a reference to the annual September sale at the great horsefair in Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Most of the writers of this time started to write of the pure bred Cleveland as a great national asset sadly in decline and not for the first time or last in its history talk of extinction existed.

One bright spot was the success of the part bred Cleveland Peter Simple who finished third in the Grand Nationals of 1841 and 1842. finished second in 1845, and won several north country steeplechases.

There was also a brief surge of interest in the breed between 1840 and 1860 about the time of the Oldenburg incident, however by the time we get to the 1860's things were pretty dire. This decline in the breed coincided with the increased use of horses for minework and the increasing popularity of the heavier horses such as the Clydesdale and the Shire.

To be displaced by the Clydesdale is somewhat ironic bearing in mind the fact that the Cleveland was used as a foundation of the breed at its very inception, however it did fall out of favour and its unpopularity was as strong as the desire to own one had been in the recent past.

One bright spot was the success of some Clevelands in the showjumping arena.

One horse to excel in this way was bred by the famous Duell family and was named Star. She was by Bamaby (CB18). dam by Felix (CB106). Interestingly this mare's dam was a chestnut in colour a fact that is recorded as being common within that particular family of pure breds at that time. She was an acclaimed show jumper her most famous feat it was claimed being a jump six feet out of a hollow.

Another success in this area was a mare called Fanny Drape. She was a part bred mare by a Cleveland Stallion. She gave a solo exhibition of jumping in hand and cleared a seven foot six inch bar.

Following the decline in the period around 1860. matters came to a head in the eyes of many stalwarts when a grey mare won the Cleveland Bay brood mare class at Whitby right in the heart of Cleveland Bay country as one of them put it. This showed that the breed's identification had been finally compromised.

It was at about this time that some of the great saviours of the breed emerged-

Sir Alfred Pease. William Scarth Dixon and several others with a like interest had seen the gradual demise of breed numbers although there was still a nucleus in the traditional breeding areas around the North York's moor Dales.

Tilings had got so bad that the Cleveland classes at several of the home shows were under threat and Thomas Parrington another legend of the breed, fought off a suggestion that breed classes should be cancelled at Cleveland County Show. Sir Alfred Pease had also just won a battle to retain the pure bred classes at the Royal which was being held in York but for which there was only one entry.

As today, matters were not helped by the small number of horses being shown and at many shows the Pures had to be shown alongside the Coach horses who as part breds had distinct advantages.

Occasionally a pure bred horse would win and sometimes with classes having as many as 20 entries, this was quite a victory, but this situation was becoming less frequent and a crisis was developing.

Breed Societies were all the rage at this time and the Shire, Hackney and Clydesdale Horse Societies had recently been
formed

Sir Alfred Pease. William Scarth Dixon and J.P. Sowerby started to correspond with each other following the initial
publication of a letter from Pease in the Yorkshire Post newspaper.

It was decided to try to achieve publicity for the breed so letters were sent to local newspapers to highlight the situation and to try to elicit some support.

Over several weeks the response was good and several names came out of the woodwork. Breeders such as Fred Wilson Horsfall from Potto and George Scoby from Nawton, had still got substantial numbers ofpures and others were just as keen to see the breed survive.

1883 was a momentous year for the breed. (It incidentally marked the birth of one of its greatest allies in Major Jack Fairfax Blakeborough),

It was decided that the way forward was to hold a public meeting and this was done in the summer of that year at the Black Lion Hotel at Stockton. It was well attended and was chaired by Lord Cathcart.It was agreed that the breed's supporters would form a Society and in 1884 the Cleveland Bay Horse society came into existence, with William Scarth Dixon as its first Secretary.

Dixon set about starting the work of cataloguing the breed's history along with the other members of the editing committee and the first Cleveland Bay studbook was published in September 1884.

The book was published by a firm in Norwich as they had just completed the work on the Hackney stud book and Dixon used their experience in this area to ensure that the first CBHS stud book was to the required standard.

The first volume was a retrospective one featuring all stallions foaled prior to January 1^st 1880.

Dixon the editor was the first person to accept that mistakes were made and he said later that the main mistake was the insistence that every stallion had three direct crosses of Cleveland blood and that every mare should have two direct crosses.

He said that this kept many good horses out of the book who should have been in and many were in that should have been left out.

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society studbook was a huge bonus for the breed as it was a register for the horses that would verify their pedigrees and from that would have an impact on trade and values. Unfortunately it was not without its problems and it was not very long before a dilemma emerged.

The conflict concerned a group of horses whose owners considered that they should have been admitted into the stud book but which were deliberately omitted by the editing committee.

These omissions caused a substantial problem for these horses' owners as prior to the creation of the Society' these horses could be called Cleveland Bays or New Cleveland Bays as many part-breds were and sold as such. but if there was a Cleveland Bay Horse Society and a horse was excluded from its register, then where in this time of breed society fever, could they go.

There were about one hundred horses afFected by the omission but in particular three names. Prince of Wales (Y371), Inkerman Hero and a horse called Candidate (YCH 64.) described later by Sir Alfred Pease as outstanding examples of their breed, created the greatest dilemma as they had substantial numbers of progeny on the ground and were generally highly thought of.

Candidate was a prime example. He was a Yorkshire Coach horse whose supporters considered should be admitted to the studbook because of his qualities and no doubt the fact that many mare owners had used him and wanted to register their stock with a breed society had more than a passing influence. It was suggested by a deputation of interested parties that these omitted horses could form a special section in the Studbook kept separate from the pure breds

The Problem in particular was that Candidate failed the Societies admission criteria in spectacular fashion. You had to write out several generations to clearly earmark the Cleveland blood that was actually present on the Dams side but was sadly absent from that of the sire. Opinion on the horse was mixed Dixon later described him as leggy and on the nervous side. Pease on the other hand when writing of the emerging conflict some forty or so years later, said he was the most beautiful horse he had ever seen.

A vote was taken and the decision to exclude was passed by one vote. This decision split the breeds supporters, alienated those with offspring and the horse Candidate was exported to Australia.

The decision not to register these horses incensed those whose stock could not be registered with an existing breed society and this lead to the formation of the rival Yorkshire Coach horse Society in 1886. which claimed the Yorkshire Coach Horse as a pure breed of horse.

There was a substantial amount of ill feeling concerning this issue and some breeders clearly considered themselves caught between two stools. In 1886. an amalgamation at this point would have created major benefits for both breeds even if the Coachers had been kept in a separate part of the stud book but this was not to be and the division created by the affair was to last for a substantial period of time.

In the foreword of the Yorkshire Coach Horse Stud Book of 1887 the opportunity to undermine their former Cleveland allies was not missed- as it was not in future volumes either and this no doubt added fuel to the flames.

It should be noted that some people had a foot in both camps and were members of both councils and their respective editing committees. Sir Alfred Pease. John Lett and The Sterricker family who were all staunch Cleveland breeders fell into this category. Many horses were also registered with both Societies so there was a ridiculous situation where several horses were claimed as pure by two different Breeds and the confusion the public had already experienced was heightened.

The whole thing was an unmitigated disaster.

These factors lead to several formal attempts to unite the two societies after the initial fall out, but in reality at that time there was no real desire amongst the Cleveland Bay breeders in particular and even a conference aimed at unity failed miserably.

It was not all bad news however. In the 1880's overseas trade had become buoyant with substantial numbers of horses in particular being exported to the USA and. about this time, Buffalo Bill brought publicity to the breed by his use of Cleveland Stallions in his travelling Wild West Circus. May be that is why there was reluctance to merge as trade was so good?

John Lett ofRillington-(not to be confused with his nephew. John Lett of Scagglethorpe) who owned the Cleveland Stud Farm at Rillington near Malton in North Yorkshire and who claimed to have the largest stud in the country, became one of the breeds most influential players. He bred, bought and exported both pure bred and Yorkshire Coach horses in substantial numbers. Although he bred horses under the Rillington prefix he also bought horses and registered under that name- and bred horses that did not have that prefix for some reason so that the stud book reveals an inaccurate picture of his actual endeavours.

Export to the United States was rampant as was Lett's trading activity. This is highlighted by the trade magazines of the time which show numerous adverts from companies offering Cleveland Bay horses in the USA and the adverts claimed a choice of literally hundreds of Clevelands. Sale of goods law was clearly not so rigid as now and some of these horses would not have stood up to close scrutiny as to their pure origins.

Other notable participants in this trade were the Stericker family who had farms in North Yorkshire and in Springfield. Illinois and who also provided the King of Italy with many carriage horses. Tanner Jackson and George Brown of Aurora Illinois, also traded substantially and there were many others. Eventually after twenty years or so this market started to dwindle and the export focus shifted from the States to South Africa and this colony gave substantial rewards for many Cleveland Bay and Yorkshire Coach Horse breeders up to the end of the century.

These were not the only countries importing as the stud books show exports as far afield as Argentina and Canada.

Whilst trade was good, things were relatively fine between the two rival societies, there wasn't quite the need for
reconciliation between the two although attempts were made and the discussion continued.

Trade to South Africa continued to be buoyant for a short while however it was starting to dry up and many farmers were turning to the heavier breeds such as the Clydesdale and Shire and additionally the use of the Coach horse was starting to diminish.

Numbers in the Cleveland Bay Stud Book began to dwindle. Dixon resigned as Stud Book editor and by the tune volume
fifteen of the stud book was printed in 1914 numbers of registrations had dropped off considerably

The first war ended what optimism there may have been to rectify the slide in pure registrations.

Horses were needed for the war effort and Clevelands particularly because of their use in the artillery field as gun carriage horses shared the turmoil that followed the events in Sarajevo.

The next volumes of the stud book showed a marked change in attitude towards the exclusionary action that had preceded in 1884 and several horses crept into consideration for a variety of reasons who would otherwise have been kept out on the Candidate principle, thus making the earlier conflict with candidate and the others forty years earlier seem somewhat regrettable.

The most talked about of those horses was Tantalus.

Tantalus had been bred as a Coach horse by Mr Dobson Coatcs of Pickcring but had been sold to King George. He was by the Stallion Breaston Prince (Y2451) and both his Dam and Grand dam were registered Yorkshire Coach horses.

The King in common with many other people in the preceding 100 years appears to have become confused over the correct breed identification and decided that as he was going to donate this fine specimen Tantalus to a Breed Society that the correct one would be the CBHS.

The gift of this horse caused incredible strife and resulted in George Welford's resignation from the council. On the one hand nobody wanted to admit the horse but on the other nobody appears to have dared point out the obvious error to his Majesty.

After much heated debate it was decided to admit and this action resulted in Tantalus appearing in volume 16 of the studbook with the simple explanation "admitted by special resolution 1921".

The claim made about this dilemma is that he was allowed to sire a few foals and then he was quietly exported to Canada in 1924. It was claimed that those foals were not allowed to influence the breed, however a close scrutiny of the records show that there were more foals about than the explanation would imply.

Tantalus was not the only Coacher to slip in by the back door at this time. Rillington Victor CBHS (1762) also by Breaston Prince was admitted by the same process in 1922

Lockrys Daizie (1507) was another horse, this time a mare. admitted despite foreign blood and Westerdale Daisy (1475) who is my favourite example because my mares go back to her. was admitted to the studbook for it to be discovered later that the General Gordon (612) claimed as her grandsire. a pure Cleveland .was in fact another horse of the same name bred along coach horse lines although that still doesn't explain why the horse was allowed in because her mother was also a coach horse.

These are just some of the examples and an inspection of volumes 16 to 18 of the studbook shows several others depicting the merger of the two breeds. I only make the point to say how futile the actions of those arguing the point in 1884 became within 40 years.

This is an appropriate moment to mention the Grading register. During the War years the decline in numbers caused the society to look at stock levels and it was decided that many mares were either eligible in blood but lacked detail of pedigree or had only one cross of coach horse and were still the stamp of a Cleveland having ample pure blood beyond that one lapse and that these horses should not be lost. It was also an opportunity to admit several Coaching mares in an attempt to build
bridges to finally amalgamate the two societies. A special register to admit these mares was set up in 1920 and continues to the present day.

Another novelty of this time was the Cleveland Bay Syndicate.

The Society decided after the First war that it would be prudent to purchase a stallion to serve the mares particularly around the North Yorks Moors. The idea was that they would use a particular horse for a few seasons and would then bring in fresh blood. Their initial purchase was the horse Charmer (CB 1737) who was a very successful show prospect. The Society sank its money into the venture and the horse covered 60 mares in his first vear.

A change of blood became essential after a relatively short period of time and. to achieve this. the syndicate went on to
acquire the services of the horse Cholderton Ryecroft (CB1757). This horse can be found without too much digging in the ancestry of virtually every living Cleveland today. He was considered a great asset to the Society however it is hard to ignore the fact that Cholderton Ryecroft's parents were half brother and sister and both of their dams shared the same father. I will leave you a moment to work that one out.

It seems that little concern was expressed at that time about what appears to be extensive inbreeding, anybody with a moment to spare might like to look at Cleveland Famley (CB 1788). the sire of Famley Exchange(A1826) as another example on this point.

The decision to use Cholderton Ryecroft following hot on the heels of Charmer was intended to ensure that good quality Cleveland stallions were available for those who wanted to use them and as regards the numbers of mares covered it was a success however in a way it was storing up trouble for the future as it was soon realised that there was a breeding bottleneck developing that would need drastic action to address.

Trade at this time. i.c. the late 1920's to early 1930's was poor in this country. It was a time of agricultural depression and the breeders were looking abroad to supplement their income from the sale of youngstock.

As happened half a century earlier, the United States came to the rescue with Alexander Mackay Smith in particular, under the Famley prefix, importing pure breds including incidentally one of the granddaughters of the stallion Tantalus. Scagglethorpe Niobe (CB1485). her mother being one of the foals you will recall that was not going to be allowed to influence the breed. He then went on to feature prominently as the most prolific breeder of pure and part breds for a considerable time in the future

He was also the breeder ofFamley Exchange (A1826) who rather unusually was imported to this country as an outcross in the 1940's.

Volume 18 of the studbook was produced in 1938 and this incorporated the final edition of the Yorkshire Coach Horse Studbook, the two societies finally burying the hatchet following the gradual disappearance of the need for the existence of the Coach horse .The Societies formally amalgamated, the Cleveland Bay Society taking over the assets of its former rival in return for life memberships being convened upon its former members and the years of rivalry faded into the memory.

The War years as one would expect were pretty bleak but there were some breeders who kept up the challenge ironically outside the home county particularly at Cholderton in Salisbury where there were still a number of horses being kept by Captain Edmunds who was maintaining a family tradition set before the century began and at Ashford in Kent where Miss Hudson's Coombegrove stud flourished and produced the colt Apollo(CB1857) in 1947

Once the conflict had ended, there was still a good overseas trade but demand outstripped supply and instead of the horses heading stateside as they had eighty years earlier it was the turn of countries such as Spain Brazil, Pakistan and Japan who clamoured after the breed for ceremonial and upgrading purposes.

New breeders emerged during this period and for the first time the names of the Keenleyside Brothers Wilkinson and David appeared in the list of Council members following their acquisition of their foundation mare Lady Fairfax(CB 1548) bred by the Cleveland Bay Syndicate and Stressholrne Dignity(CB1516). Lord Fairfax(CB1875) was foaled in 1946 and the Forest stud was created the rest is history.

Ruth Kitching. whose family had bred both Coach Horses and Cleveland Bays since the middle of the previous century, also emerged as a stalwart of the breed at this time. having moved to Fryup in 1949.

Joe Sunley had started patiently grading up mares under the Gerrick prefix from matings using his colt Lucifer (CB1809) acquired at Sir Alfred Pease dispersal sale.

It was not long before the name of a Miss Marygold Nixey appeared for the first time in a CBHS Stud book with her purchase of the mare Lady Louise (CB1621) in the late 1950's

In the late 1950's however, another disaster loomed. Breed numbers had declined substantially as in fact between 1938 and 1954 only three volumes of the studbook had been produced. In the years between 1945 and 1954 only nineteen colts had been registered however, these included Apollo (CB1857). Lord Fairfax (CB1875). Cholderton Druid (CB1859) and Cholderton Felix (CB1883).

This state of affairs did. as in the past, turn around and by 1959 demand once again outstripped supply and numbers were once again on the increase.

Newcastle and Scottish breweries four in hand team of Pure Bred Clevelands were a star attraction at many shows and the emergence of part bred show jumpers such as North Flight and Maddison Time repeated the Cleveland's dominance a century on from the exploits of Duell's Star.

The 1960's saw the emergence ofMulgrave Supreme (CB1915). Forest Superman (CB1925). Chapman (CB1908) and the breed developed around those horses and the story of Her Majesty's involvement with the acquisition of Mulgrave Supreme is well documented in recent history and up to the present day.

So what of the future?

Major Jack Fairfax Blakeborough reaffirmed in 1954 the Society's long standing slogan as " The best general utility horse and the best foundation for hunter breeding"

The pure bred must be our first priority without it we have no future.

If there is no market for the purebred can we survive reliant upon hobby or novelty breeders? We have to accentuate the
strengths of the breed and we must market the advantages its ownership presents.

I believe that there is a market for today's utility horse. A horse whose temperament can be trusted, one that can be ridden or driven by teenager or parent in safety, one that is fundamentally sound- that is hardy and long lived, that will not cost a fortune to feed. A horse that will do a lot of things well and will meet the average rider's demands.

The Cleveland Bay has adapted several times in its past it has the credentials to survive in the future.