Cleveland Bay

Cleveland Bay Qualities

The Cleveland Bay horse is still found roaming around inside Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, and sometimes in France. They were used mostly for harness work and for riding training. The breed is very enduring, hardy, and considered quite agile for such a large animal. Along the Yorkshire coastline, there is a portion called the "cliff land" which gave the animals their name. The breed society for this type is very particular. So much so that they only permit the bay colored ones to be bred and registered within their organization. They are extremely fast and can weave in and out of their training courses with little effort at all.

Cleveland Bay Temperament

The Cleveland Bay horse is very wise, sensible, telling, nurturing, and thoughtful. They are easy to train and do very well even with kids. The breed can be used as work horses or to just help children learn how to ride properly.

Cleveland Bay Appearance

The Cleveland Bay horse stands at around sixteen hands when fully grown. They bode a fine head, sloping shoulders, think necks, strong quarters, long backs, strong feet, and have lots of bone inside their frames. They are generally bred in the bay fur coat shade and have an impressive nine inches of what is called "flat bone" in their legs.

Cleveland Bay Upkeep

The Cleveland Bay horses tend to be easy to care for. They are well tempered, kind, and easy to train. The breed can reside in cold climates and warm ones alike. No major health issues have been reported within this particular breed.

Cleveland Bay History

The Cleveland Bay horses derive from Northern England. They are considered the oldest breed of horse coming from Britain. They were popular during the Yorkshire Dales era, which were also known as the Chapman Horses. During the Middle Ages, located in England, the local monasteries were responsible for much of the heavy breeding that occurred during that time. They were used to carry the monasteries back and forth from work each day. They went on to have the blood lines introduced from Barb horse decent sometime during the seventeen hundreds. The result was that the Cleveland Bay breed would go on to be recognized as a breed that was quick, versatile, and very easy on the eyes. There are currently two different variations of this horse style; one is the Chapman and the other is called the Yorkshire Coach Horse Type.

Source: Horsebreeds