24 



small star, or a few white hairs on the heel, is not admissible, 

 a blaze or a white foot proclaiming at once the admixture of foreign 

 blood." 



History of the Breed. The breed sustained a serious blow when 

 the development of railways reduced the d,emand for stage-coach 

 horses, and when it became a common practice to breed carriage- 

 horses and other light-legged sorts by mating Thoroughbreds with 

 small farm mares, but it was saved from extinction by being 

 employed in farm work, for which in certain districts it has proved 

 admirably qualified. The Farmers' Magazine for 1826 says : 

 " Probably the best horse for working the lighter class of soils is 

 the Cleveland Bay, an original breed of the country, neither Blood 

 nor Black, that is, a distinct race from the English Blood-horse, 

 and equally distinct from the Black or Cart breed of the country. 

 It was the basis of the breed of the old London Coach-horse, when 

 heavy cattle were used for these conveyances ; and, after it 

 became the fashion to adopt a lighter horse for carriages, this 

 valuable breed was allowed almost to become extinct, till their 

 excellence for agricultural purposes was noticed by some practical 

 farmers iii the north of England, who for several years have been 

 exerting themselves to re.vive the breed." 



The great power the early type of the breed possessed may be 

 judged by the measurements of Old Cleveland recorded in 1827, as 

 follows : " When at his full size, in good condition but not full of 

 flesh, he measured 16 hands 1^ inches high, 9| inches round the 

 pastern, 10 inches round below the knee, 21 inches round the arm, 

 15f inches round the knee, and 6 feet 10 inches round the girth. 

 His legs were as clean as a racehorse." 



The Stud Book points out that nearly every horse of note belongs 

 to one or other of three great families descended from Dunsley's 

 Dart, Barley Harvest and the Hob Hill Horse. The last, named 

 Farmers' Glory, was foaled about 1798 and Barley Harvest a little 

 earlier. 



Value for Crossing. The great stamina and robustness of the 

 constitution of the breed are valuable assets, and the mares are in 

 high favour for crossing with a view to the production of either 

 carriage horses or hunters. 



The favourite cross is perhaps that with the Thoroughbred horse, 

 but for breeding carriage horses the Hackney stallion is also used. 



THE YORKSHIRE COACH-HORSE. 



The Yorkshire Coach-Horse is an off-shoot of the Cleveland Bay, 

 developed in the first instance by infusion of Thoroughbred blood, 

 though it has been recognised as a distinct variety for more than a 

 century. The Yorkshire Coach-Horse Stud Book (founded 1887), says 

 of the type : " It cannot be claimed for the Yorkshire Coach-Horse 

 that he is a pure-bred animal ; on the contrary, by the judicious 

 crossing of largo-sized good-coloured mares with stallions, altogether 

 or nearly Thoroughbred, a class of horses has been produced suited 

 to the wants and circumstances of the times. By universal consent, 

 the colour should be bay or brown, with black legs, mane and 



