The Cleveland Bay is the oldest British breed of horse, named for the Cleveland area of England. While many of the horses imported to the US during colonization were Spanish, the English brought animals too.
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Originally bred for use as pack horses in the Yorkshire Dales, their blood saw an influx of Barb<\/a> blood towards the end of the 17th century. The result was a powerful, robust animal, versatile enough to be used under harness as well as for transporting goods. <\/p>\n It is unclear when the breed was brought to the American colonies, but their great characteristics didn’t go unnoticed. Whether their breeding began by the British and later found their way into the hands of American breeders or if they are more recently imported. However it began, in 1885 the The Cleveland Bay Horse Society of North America was established and by the turn of the century had registered 2,000 breeding stock. <\/p>\n According to the DAD-IS the American strain of Cleveland Bay is critical and as of the last population data in 2017 there were only 3 left. <\/p>\n Average height 16-16.2 hands<\/p>\n Head is bold and well carried on the neckFeatures<\/h3>\n
Physique<\/h3>\n
\nEyes are large and well set
\nLegs are muscular with large knees and hocks
\nBody is deep and wide with deeply muscled shoulders
\nFeet are one of the most important characteristic, they must be blue in color, large and sound<\/p>\nTraditional Colors:<\/h3>\n