CHAPTER XIII 



THE CLEVELAND BAY 



The native home of the Cleveland Bay horse is in northeastern 

 England, in the county of York. It is also said that a similar 

 type formerly existed in Devon in south England. The breed, as 

 now known, has its breeding center in the counties of Durham, 

 Northumberland, and especially York, and it is in the latter 

 county, among the Cleveland Hills, in North and East Riding, it 

 has been found in its greatest purity. York is a rolling or slightly 

 hilly country, with rougher land up in Northumberland. Superior 

 pastures cover these hills and make ideal conditions for producing 

 coach horses of the Cleveland Bay sort. 



The origin of the Cleveland Bay is very obscure. Formerly it 

 was known as the Chapman or pack horse, the name Cleveland 

 Bay being a modern one. Some have assumed that the breed is 

 descended from Roman days in Britain, and comes from the 

 union of Oriental horses and English stock. Others have attrib- 

 uted the breed to the use of Thoroughbreds on British cart- 

 horse mares, which no doubt is quite within the facts. This 

 theory has been resented by some Cleveland Bay authorities 

 who wish to show a pure ancestry. The use of Scandinavian 

 horse blood has also been suggested, thus accounting for the black 

 points in the Cleveland. Another eminent authority offers the 

 theory that this breed has been gradually developed from the 

 native horses in southern England, with possibly some help in 

 early times from Oriental or Thoroughbred blood. 



In spite of these various theories nothing definite is known 

 on the subject. The mares of Cleveland were, no doubt, crossed 

 more or less with Thoroughbred or other blood, and plenty of 

 evidence exists to show that in early times, at least, the breed 

 was not of absolute purity. This criticism however will apply 

 to most other breeds as well. 



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