Cleveland Bays and Yorkshire Coach Horses 3 1 



England, and in Yorkshire especially, there was an exceptional 

 number of high-class Thoroughbred horses travelling the country. 

 There being no railways, and other means of conveying mares any 

 distance being very expensive, country mares as they were called 

 in Yorkshire, i.e. mares of any breed owned by farmers and others, 

 had access to exceptionally good horses at merely nominal fees. 

 We even find a horse like Hambletonian, a St. Leger winner, taking 

 a few approved farmers' mares at a fee of a guinea. 



But long before his time, and as racing began to extend, these 

 horses became very numerous, and no doubt were used to cross with 

 the Chapman or Cleveland mares to a considerable extent. We 

 know of one instance in which this was the case. Traveller by Partner, 

 dam by Almanzor, a bay horse that was bred by Mr. Osbaldeston 

 j'l ^735 ^nd which won several races, came owing to some cause or 

 other into the Yarm district. There he covered the " country " 

 mares at very low fees — as little as lOJ-. it has been said — until the 

 Duke of Cleveland, happening to see some of his stock when he 

 was on a hunting expedition, mated Slighted by All to him. 

 The result was Dainty Davy, which was the best horse of his year. 

 And of course after that Old Traveller was purchased and went 

 to Raby. Several famous stallions of the Cleveland Bay breed 

 trace their pedigree back to this Old Traveller. 



What was taking place in the Yarm district would naturally be 

 taking place, more or less, all over the country, and hence it is not 

 difficult to see how the Cleveland Bays gradually "grew to quality", 

 and how some of them were very smart indeed, on the road or in 

 the hunting field. 



Mr. Lumley Hodgson used to tell of how one Miles of Harlsey, 

 who was serving on the jury at York, rode to York every morning 

 on his Cleveland Bay mare, arriving in time to hear his name read 

 out and returning home when the court rose. This meant riding 

 the mare seventy miles a day for six days, a very good perfor- 

 mance for any breed. Mr. Parker's mare, of Cundale and Star, and 

 her sister, are referred to elsewhere, and other instances, similar in 

 general character if differing in detail, are constantly cropping up. 

 I have myself seen a man loose a horse out of the plough and 

 jump on to him barebacked when hounds have crossed the field, 

 and seen him go right well too. And when this happened it was 

 pretty certain to be a Cleveland Bay, with perhaps a cross of blood 

 a generation or two back that was careering after hounds, fully 

 equipped with barfin and hames. 



The Cleveland Bay is a very powerful horse, standing from 

 16 hands to 16 hands i in., with big bone of great density. The 



