Origin: Cleveland, England
Height: 16-16.2 hh
Colors: Bay
Build: Lighter than most draft horses, but still muscular with a wide girth, strong hindquarters, and good joints and feet
Attributes: Elegant, calm and powerful
History of the Cleveland Bay Draft Horse
The Cleveland Bay is the oldest indigenous horse breed in the United Kingdom. The Cleveland Bay's ancestor is the Chapman horse. The name Chapman came about because it was used by chapmen, traveling salesmen, as a pack horse. The Chapman was something of an all-purpose horse. Besides being a pack horse, it was popularly used to haul raw wool and iron ore to mills. The Chapman horse could also be found as a riding horse, a farming horse and a carriage horse. This ancestor was relatively short, featherless and eventually established as purely bay.
It was not until the English Civil War, 1642 to 1649, that a great deal of new blood was introduced to the Chapman horse. Spanish horses were imported, and eventually bred to the native horses. In 1661 Charles II married Catherine of Braganza which created heavy trade between England and the port of Tangier in northern Africa. This brought Barb horses into Europe which were bred to the horses that would become Cleveland Bays.
In the 1700s, Arab stock was added to the bloodlines of the Chapman horse because breeders wanted taller, faster and lighter horses for pulling carriages. The Cleveland Bay has since remained a very pure breed. It was not until 1884 that the breed's name was finally changed officially to Cleveland Bay signifying its color and the area that the breed had originated from.
It was only thanks to a few British families, including the Royal family, that the Cleveland Bay draft horse has survived. But the Cleveland Bay is still on the list of critically rare breeds. As of 1996 there were only 35 Cleveland Bay stallions and 150 Cleveland Bay mares in all of England.
Characteristics of the Cleveland Bay Draft Horse
Appearance and Conformation of the Cleveland Bay Draft Horse
One of the most amazing aspects of the appearance of the Cleveland Bay draft horse is that they all look very similar, in color, build and temperament. This makes matching Cleveland Bay draft horses for pulling carriages relatively easy. The Cleveland Bay is a relatively tall horse, standing - on average - about 16.1 hh. The Cleveland Bay's barrel is wide and deep, although it should still be proportionate to the body. The Cleveland Bay's neck is long and muscular, with a well shaped, large head. It is acceptable for the head of the Cleveland bay to have a slightly convex nose, and it is often thought to resemble the head of the Andalusian. The legs of the Cleveland Bay are clean and long, having at least nine inches of bone beneath the knee. The movement is not extravagant, but it is straight and free. Cleveland Bay draft horses mature more slowly than other draft horse. Cleveland Bays do not reach full adulthood until six or seven years old, and therefore Cleveland Bays require a slower training schedule than other draft horses. Cleveland Bays are bay in color. Darker Cleveland Bays, verging on mahogany, are the most common body color. The rims of the ears, the mane, the tail and the legs of the Cleveland Bay should be black, although a small amount of grey in any of these areas is acceptable. The only other color that is allowed on a true Cleveland bay is a very small white star on the forehead.
Temperament of the Cleveland Bay Draft Horse
The Cleveland Bay is not quite as calm and gentle as many of the other larger draft horses. The Cleveland Bay is more similar in temperament to the warmbloods, such as the Hanoverian and Trakehner. The Cleveland Bay is an easy horse to keep and a willing worker.
Uses for the Cleveland Bay Draft Horse
The Cleveland Bay draft horse is a highly versatile horse, being used for many aspects of farm work, carriage driving, hauling and riding. Cleveland Bays are, perhaps, most popular in the driving competitions, because they are so easy to match and because they have free action. Because the Cleveland Bay is such a rare purebred horse, breeding is highly regulated. Purebred Cleveland Bays can be registered, although stallions are examined before they are allowed to sire offspring, and they are then checked continuously throughout their life as a sire.