CLEVELAND BAYS AND YORKSHIRE COACH HORSES. 59 



being obliged to carry heavy weights ; but alas ! how are 

 these intentions perverted ; our noble breed of horses is 

 now enervated by an intermixture with Turks, Barbs, and 

 Arabians, just as our modern nobility and gentry are de- 

 bauched by the effeminate manners of France and Italy." 

 The fact that English horses possessed courage, speed, and 

 endurance, as well as strength, is sufficiently proved by Mr. 

 Joseph Osborne, in his interesting introduction to the " Horse 

 Breeder's Handbook," and therefore it is not necessary to look 

 for the origin of the courage and hardy constitution of the 

 Cleveland Bay to the Arab or the Barb ; and indeed stallions 

 of either breed would not be likely to be within the reach of 

 Cleveland Bay breeders. 



But that an occasional cross of the thoroughbred was 

 introduced is by no means improbable, though it is remarkable 

 that an instance of its occurrence is not found in any historical 

 record of the breed. It is none the less remarkable that those 

 who tell us that the modern Cleveland Bay is the result of 

 crossing with the thoroughbred and the carting mare, are 

 especially careful to avoid naming the thoroughbred or to give 

 any reliable data about such crossing. Still there can be little 

 doubt that an occasional cross of blood was accidentally or 

 designedly admitted into the breed. In later years rumours to 

 this effect were extant, and in one instance a prize was with- 

 held on this account, but the rumour may be taken for what it 

 was worth ; for when the owner of the disqualified animal 

 sued for the prize in the County Court, as eventually he did, 

 those who stated that the so-called Cleveland Bay was by a 

 thoroughbred signally failed to prove their case. The proba- 

 bility is, that if the thoroughbred cross was introduced, it 

 would be in the middle of the last century. Any introduction 

 of alien blood in later years would be sure to be known, and 

 indeed there would have been no object in hiding it, as, until 

 very lately, Coach Horses were more valuable than Cleveland 

 Bays. One thing that points to the introduction of thorough- 

 bred blood at the time I name, is that records state how well 



