Botton Grove Grace
Our Clevelands
Cleveland Bays have a remarkable uniformity of size, conformation and soundness. These animals have a long-established line, and breed true to type to successfully pass on their unique combination of traits to their progeny. Some of the more important characteristics are bold and honest disposition, ample bone and substance, and hardiness and long life. Their action is level, free and long striding. Not only are these horses solid hunters, jumpers and drivers in their own right, but the combination of these traits also make them ideal for cross-breeding with other sport horses to produce capable all-around event horses. Versatility and intelligence as seen throughout their long and varied history mark the purebred Cleveland Bay.
Peters Creek farm is home to five Cleveland Bay foundation mares. Each mare was selected for the specific athletic and genetic qualities that we saw as true assets to the breed. In addition to these five lovely horses, we previously had a small herd of six Thoroughbred broodmares that were chosen for their crossing potential with Cleveland Bay stallions. As of March 2009, we have three young purebred Clevelands available and five young part-breds that all exhibit the calm temperament and willingness of this breed.
We welcome you to explore our website. Peters Creek Farm is a family operation, and as a family we share the desire to see the Cleveland Bay grow in numbers and stature throughout the equine world. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and lessons learned with anyone interested in this spectacular breed of horse.
Photo By Kat ©2008 Thomsonbrook Queen's Saga and Botton Grove Grace
Cleveland Bay History
As its name suggests, the Cleveland Bay emanates from the Cleveland area of North East England. It is without a doubt the oldest indigenous breed of English horse and has been fixed in type much longer than the Cleveland Bay Society's foundation date suggests.
The church played a very large role in their early development. Throughout the middle ages the Monastic houses in North East England were the principal breeders of the horses' ancestors. A pack horse was needed for the trading of goods between the various abbeys and monasteries and, it is most certain, especially on the female side, the Cleveland Bay evolved from such pack horses bred in the Yorkshire Dales. Locally at this time the horses were first known as Chapman horses. The name was derived from the term given to packmen and itinerant peddlers of those days--"Chapmen".
In the 17th century, there was an influx of oriental horses into the region and these were bred to the chapman mares. So, by the end of the century the main ingredients of the breed had been brought together: chapman mares, oriental stallions, and a harsh environment. The harsh environment of North East England played a large role in providing the horse with durability, longevity, and a quiet disposition. These characteristics, combined with the uniformity of bay color, size, and substance developed a versatile breed used as hunt horses, coach horses, pack horses, and agricultural workers.
Photo By Kat ©2008 PetersCreek Royal Saga and PetersCreek St. Valentine
It was during the peak of the breeds popularity, in the late 1880's, that the Cleveland Bay Horse Society of Great Britain published the first volume of its Stud Book which contained stallions and mares selected for the purity of their blood.
With the onset of the mechanical age, the numbers of Cleveland Bays rapidly declined and their numbers were further decimated by their use as artillery horses during World War l. The Cleveland Bay survived in the region of its birthplace during these difficult times, but only barely. In the 1960's only five or six mature stallions were found. Due to the foresight and determination of the Yorkshire admirers, the breed has survived and numbers have grown. The Queen of England became the Patron of the breed, and the Royal Mews continues the tradition of using Cleveland Bays and crossbreeds in ceremonial duties. With the increase of numbers, Cleveland Bay purebreds are competing, along with breeding duties. Although listed as an endangered breed with less than 500 world-wide, there is a small -- but growing and dedicated -- group of Cleveland Bay lovers from Britain, North America, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia dedicated to the conservation of this unique horse.
Photo By Kat ©2008
The Cleveland Bay in America
The first Cleveland Bay stallions were imported to Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts in the early 1800's. In 1884, the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in Virginia was created to showcase Col. Dulany's imported Cleveland Bay stallion Scrivington and his offspring. Later William Cody, America's Buffalo Bill, chose the Cleveland Bay for his Wild West show. Western States utilized the stallions in their breeding of range horses, noting their staying quality, easy maintenance, and their match for the biggest of steers. The Cleveland Bay Horse Society of North America was founded in 1885 with 2000 stallions and mares registered by 1907. Although the breed suffered the same decline in the US as in Britain, it enjoyed a brief revival in the 1930's when Alexander Mackay-Smith imported founding stock for hunters. As of 2007, there were around 140 purebred Cleveland Bays in the United States and Canada, 500 internationally, with many Cleveland partbreds competing in all disciplines of horsemanship.
Photo by Kat ©2008