As a true carriage horse, the Cleveland Bay is both powerful and stunning. The body is large, exhibiting a deep girth and the legs are powerful with short cannons and big joints. The hoof is hard and disease-resistant and well proportioned to the horse.

Aesthetically, the Cleveland cuts a striking image in its deep, dark, black color and voluminous tail and mane. The horse can also appear in a bay coloring with black points on the legs, face, and head.

Apart from the native ponies of the region, the prestigious Cleveland Bay is the oldest indigenous horse in the UK. It descends from the Chapman, a breed first recorded in the Middle Ages. Spanish blood was introduced during the English Civil War in the seventeenth century, bringing the breed to its present conformational state.

As a coach horse, the breed went into decline after Second World War and the mass introduction of the automobile. However, it was saved by Queen Elizabeth II, who bought one of the last remaining stallions, Mulgrave Supreme, and began her own personal breeding program. Within 15 years, the four stallions she had started with had grown to 36.

The horse can still be found in royal stables and is also often used as a cross with Thoroughbreds to produce quality show jumpers and hunting horses.

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Cleveland Bay - Horses for Sale