Editing Cleveland Bay (section)

===Development===

The earliest breeding of the ancestors of the Cleveland Bay was done in large part by English churches and monasteries, to meet a need for pack horses to carry trade goods between abbeys and monasteries in northeast England.<ref name=Brit/> These medieval horses gained the nickname of "Chapman Horses" because of their use by itinerant dealers known as [[Chapman (occupation)|"chapmen"]].{{Sfn|Bongianni|1988|p=Entry 13}} What is now the Cleveland Bay is thought to have been developed from [[Barb (horse)|Barb]], [[Iberian horse|Iberian]], and [[Andalusian horse]]s crossed with Chapman Horse mares. The Barb blood came mainly from horses imported by wealthy young men on their [[Grand Tour of Europe]], bought off the docks in [[Marseille]], France, and transported back to England.{{Sfn|Dent|1978|pp=38–39}} 

The Andalusian or Iberian blood came from horses bred at the royal stud in [[Córdoba, Spain]], and gifted to English royals, such as King [[Henry VIII]], by the King of Spain. The stallions were often available for breeding to local horses, and the first infusion of Iberian blood was added to the native Chapman Horses. The Iberian horses also made their way to the outlying estates of English nobility, and were then taken by [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s men after the [[English Civil War]]. Once in the hands of Cromwell's men, many of the stallions were made available for locals to cross with the existing Chapman Horses, adding a second infusion of Iberian bloodlines. In the late 17th century, a second infusion of Barb blood was added when Cleveland breeders purchased horses directly from soldiers at [[English Tangier|Tangier]], or from the [[Moors]] themselves.{{Sfn|Dent|1978|pp=42–45}}

Between 1685 and 1785, it is believed that this early Chapman Horse/Andalusian/Barb type served as the [[foundation stock]] for the Cleveland Bay. During this century the type grew bigger due to better feeding, and by 1785, had developed through [[selective breeding]] into the "agricultural type" Cleveland Bay.{{Sfn|Dent|1978|p=46}} This original type was heavier and more [[draft horse|draught-like]] than the breed of today. This was due to a need for strength more than speed on the farms and poor roads of 17th- and 18th-century England. As roads improved, and speed became more important{{Sfn|Hayes|1976|p=340}} in the late 18th century, Thoroughbred and [[Arabian (horse)|Arabian]] blood may have been added. The resulting horses were used extensively as [[Driving (horse)|coach horses]],{{Sfn|Bongianni|1988|p=Entry 13}} and were lighter of frame, with a well-arched neck and powerful shoulders, making for a flashy carriage horse.{{Sfn|Hayes|1976|p=340}} 

Thoroughbred blood is believed to have been added by some scholars, in spite the claims of breeders that the Cleveland Bay was "free from taint of black or blood", meaning either Thoroughbred "blood" or the [[Old English Black|Old English "Black"]] and its descendants. The addition of Thoroughbred breeding is thought responsible for Cleveland Bays born with red legs (as opposed to the black normally associated with bay horses), generally the result of a chestnut Thoroughbred sire in the family tree.{{Sfn|Dent|1978|p=50}}

A 2019 genetic study of the Cleveland Bay breed also revealed genetic similarities to the now-extinct [[Turkoman horse]], the [[Connemara Pony]], and the [[Irish Draught]].<ref name="Khanshour"></ref> A separate 2020 study also found that three of the maternal lines in the modern-day Cleveland Bay likely originated from Iberian or Barb mares.<ref name="Curry">{{cite journal |last1=Dell |first1=Andy C. |last2=Curry |first2=Mark C. |last3=Yarnell |first3=Kelly M. |last4=Starbuck |first4=Gareth R |last5=Wilson |first5=Philippe B. |title=Mitochondrial D-loop sequence variation and maternal lineage in the endangered Cleveland Bay horse. |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2020 |volume=15 |issue=12 |pages=e0243247 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0243247 |doi-access=free |pmid=33270708 |pmc=7714183 |bibcode=2020PLoSO..1543247D }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Just four maternal ancestry lines exist in the Cleveland Bay horse – study |url=https://horsetalk.co.nz/2020/12/04/four-maternal-ancestry-lines-cleveland-bay-horse/ |website=Horsetalk.co.nz |date=3 December 2020 |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref>