86 The Horse-breeding Industry in Yorkshire. 



certainly represents a large slice out of the 87,000 odd foals 

 which are annually bred in England (excluding Wales). 

 Contrary to the widely held opinion that East and North 

 Yorkshire l^reed the most horses, it is, as a matter of fact, the 

 West Riding which has of recent years held pride of place in 

 this respect, more foals being raised in this part than in either 

 of the other two Ridings. 



The horses bred in the county embrace a wider range 

 of types than is found in any other part of the country, the 

 varied character of the horse stock constituting a very notable 

 feature of the Yorkshire horse-breeding industry. Every 

 recognised English breed is represented, including Hunters, 

 Thoroughbreds, Hackneys, Cleveland Bays, Yorkshire Coach 

 Horses, Shires, and Polo Ponies. Then the half-bred types 

 of harness horses, trappers, and nags constitute an important 

 element, especially so the harness horse, while another dis- 

 tinctive type is met with in the present-day descendants of 

 the old-time Yorkshire farm-horse breed, which is now more 

 or less (mostly more so) blended with Shire blood, or in some 

 instances with that of the Clydesdale. 



Taking these various breeds in detail, the first place may 

 fittingly be accorded to the Hunter. 



The breeding of hunters in this county has always been 

 a great feature of its husbandry, and excellent stock of this 

 class has been, and continues to be, produced here. The names 

 of Yorkshire breeders figure very prominently in the annals 

 of hunter-breeding, from the earliest inception of the industry 

 onwards, when the evolution of the thoroughbred first led 

 to the development of the half-bred hunter, right up to the 

 present tiine. A leading breeder of the old school during 

 the last century was Sir George Cholmley, whose studs at 

 Boynton, near Bridlington, and at Howsham, near Malton, held 

 a conspicuous position from the forties until the seventies. He 

 bred both thoroughbreds and huntei'S. Most of the latter 

 were pretty nearly thoroughbred, but up to plenty of weight 

 for all their blood and quality. His most noted stallions were 

 King Caradoc, CodringLun, who was ultimately sold to go to 

 Austria, Record, VuUurmj, Hubert, Orpheus, and a son of the 

 last-named, Angel us, described as a big-boned horse. Angelus 

 figured prominently in the show-ring in the seventies, and 

 was one of the crack hunter sires in Yorkshire at that period. 

 Two other leading sires contemporaneous with him, which also 

 won many prizes at the Yorkshire shows, were Citadel and 

 Laughingstock by Stocktvell. The former was a stallion of 

 great size, but apparently not very successful in transmitting 

 that feature to his stock. Sir George's famous stud was finally 

 dispersed bj' public sale in 1875, and with it disappeared one 



