CLEVELAND BAYS. 243 



Yorkshire, that in that county at ahnost every 

 show, important prizes are given for the breed,* 

 a circumstance which does not occur elsewhere. 



The Yorkshire Coach-horse is a descendant of 

 the Cleveland Bay, or as he was called until the 

 earlier years of the present century, the Chapman 

 horse, a big powerful clean legged animal and 

 the beau ideal of a general utility horse, which 

 he eminently was. He could plough, draw a 

 cart, run his owner's gig, or act as wheeler in a 

 heavy coach, and occasionally one has been found 

 that could carry a man to hounds- before hounds 

 ran so fast as they do now. 



Various theories have been promulgated as to 

 the origin of a breed of horses which, combining 

 strength with cleanness of bone and action, 

 shows that it is distinct from the thorough-bred 

 horse and cart horse. The most reasonable 

 theory seems to be that it descends from the 

 breed of horses indigenous to the country. 

 That there was a powerful breed of horses in 

 England before the time of the Roman invasion 

 is clearly enough proved by Csesar's description 

 of the war chariots of the Britons. It has also 

 been suggested, and with some show of reason, 

 that the particularly hardy constitution of the 

 Cleveland Bay is derived from a mixture of 



'■'■'- In many places are prizes given for horses to be driven in 

 harness — but this is a very difi'erent class of animal to the 

 Coach-horse. 



