Traditionally the Cleveland Bay is so English it’s almost symbolic of horses found in the country. With their robust nature and handsome bearing, it stands to reason that the Americans would love them too. The American strain of Cleveland Bay doesn’t stray far from their foundation.
A Little Backstory
It is not clear when the breed made it’s way to the United States, but we do know they came from England. It’s possible some were originally brought by English explorers and adopted on a small scale by American breeders. Or they could have been imported by Americans specifically for breeding an American strain. However they began, by the turn of the 20th century there were 2,000 animals registered in North America. However, numbers for the American strain have never been high, DAD-IS records start in 1994 when there were 500 registered, but by 2005 there were only 7.
What Makes Them Special
Given their numbers were so low before the turn of the century, it’s likely the breed has fallen extinct in the US. So few animals obviously cannot support a healthy breeding population. The Cleveland Bay Horse Society of North America website is active, so there is still a population in North American as a whole. Obviously Canada have their own strain, which probably makes up the bulk of animals on the continent. Hopefully we can be proven wrong and the US strain still exists. To learn more about the American strain, be sure to visit the American Cleveland Bay breed page.
Quick Facts
Native to United States.
Their studbook
The DAD-IS lists them as critical and as of 2017 there were only 3 left.