cleveland bay horses

[Bluesparks]

i have an unfortunately unregistered cleveland bay, the more people i speak to about them they all seem to have similar quirky characters! just wondered if anyone else has one of these on here! i put a post on here earlier and had a great helpful response from someone with a cleveland that sounds similar to mine, just wondered if theyre all the same!!

 

[Merlin11]

My neighbour has one. She is about 27 but still full of beans. Seems to be a safe ride. Not sure if her character is quirky though.

 

[KSR]

Hiya.. I own four Clevies, not sure what you mean by quirky though? They are all very clever but straight forward and easy with me.. I have to admit they do challenge other non mum people though

Any ideas of the parentage of yours?

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

Many years ago, back in the 1980s we had a Cleveland Bay x TB, and that was the best horse we have ever owned. He did everything, was so brave and bold, yet sensible enough for a child (me at the time) to hack out daily, helping to keep him fit for my dad to hunt. In the Summer I took him to all the local shows and pony camp, and as I grew older that horse took me safely into eventing, and he even won our hunts amateur members Point to Point race!

Nowadays, if I'm looking to buy (which isn't very frequently) my first search is always for any Cleveland Bays, or CB x TBs for sale, but there never seems to be any when I'm looking.

 

[ThePony]

Only the best breed ever!!!

Our girl is the kindest soul there ever was, she is also v intelligent and sensitive. She rewards correct kind handling, and cannot tollerate idiots, being rushed into something that she is telling you needs some thinking, and being forced into anything. On the one hand she is so incredibly kind and gentle and will look after you totally, on the other once you know a little more then she will look to you for more direction and rely on you more.

I think some people think CBs are tricky because they are so smart - they aren't tricky but they don't suffer fools gladly either! Once you have their trust and have built a bond then they are your horse of a lifetime and will absolutly try their heart out for you. Doesn't stop them having a giggle at your expense every now and again though!!

They are def an 'old school' horsemanship type breed. Things need doing properly and by the book, if our girl says no then there is no way you will force her into something. If she is daunted by loading in the trailer then you just have to give her time to work it through and then she will load like an absolute lamb every time. Trust is absolutly everything with them.

 

[KSR]

I totally agree with you.. I think it's more about matching the correct temperament of owner to the Clevie than the other way round, lol..

 

[Welly]

You are lucky to own a CB I sadly lost my boy last week. A lot of people don't like them I think thats because you can not bully a CB they won't stand for it you have to be firm but kind and they will do anything for you. Enjoy your boy you might like to check these sites.

http://www.clevelandbay.com/
http://www.southernclevelandbayclub.co.uk/


Time spent with a horse is never wasted
Time spent with a Cleveland Bay is always a privilege

 

[Happy Hunter]

yay a new CB recruit!

Im a big fan! - I have 3 now - and mum and I have always had one over the years (about 30ish for her now)

do you have any idea who your horse is by?

My Mare is out of the stallion Little John - (Ironically shes 17hh)

Love them a lot! - As everyone has said, you can nver bully them, but win them over and you have a friend for life!
(A food bucket is never a bad idea too!)

photobucket seems to be only letting me on the mobile version at the moment - but ill post some pics up soon!

 

[Happy Hunter]

Here we are : having a ridiculously large jump over something on NYD.
She always does this 1st jump of the day.

As you can see - at the time I was a little worried! (mostly about my lower leg!!! tut tut!)
You can even see all the bits under her tum I missed when clipping!!!

Image a bit large! Sorry - Any help to reduce its size greatfully recieved!

 

[Bluesparks]

Thanx everyone what great replies!! Unfortunately I have no idea of his parentage I took pictures of him to the cb show a few years ago when it was at rodbaston college in Staffordshire and all the members of the cbhs said he is definately Cleveland, he's not always easy can be bolshy and if I am in a bad mood it's best to steer clear of each other!! He's generally lovely and quiet to ride am just having a slight problem with napping and this trogging off with his head on the ground, it's nice to hear some positive comments instead of negative I was told a couple of weeks ago that Cleveland bays are thankless beasts!! I do agree they can't be bullied, my tb will back down if I shout the cb will retaliate!!

 

[Bluesparks]

Oh btw happy hunter what bit do you use for hunting? I want some brakes but don't want to unnecessarily over bit him? Thanx

 

[Lilyhead]

I've got a CB x TB - had him 8 years and he is very quirky! Not everyone's cup of tea as he can be rather impatient and daft, but hasn't a nasty bone in his body! I did showing on him and a bit of WH...he loved to jump...fast! I also found him very very strong and once he had the bit, any bit, he was off! Because he is beautiful...!

 

[Bluesparks]

Yep mine absolutely loves jumping but at 100mph!! A little un nerving sometimes think everyone's spot on with the trust thing, and of course they are beautiful!

 

[Bluesparks]

How do you add pics to comments on here please?!

 

[ScratchyMooMoo]

I have a CB x TB and he is the best horse I have ever owned. If I do ever get another horse I'd certainly look for another. I do a bit of everything with mine, (Eventing, Show Jumping & RC mainly). He's athletic and incredibly brave. Can be quirky though and difficult at times, schooling on the flat is a constant challenge, dressage is not his forte! He won't be told if he's just not in the mood and hates repetitive work. But he is extremely intelligent and has the biggest personality ever. The pictures in my album are of him.

 

[yeeharider]

Yep mine absolutely loves jumping but at 100mph!! A little un nerving sometimes think everyone's spot on with the trust thing, and of course they are beautiful!

I love mine bought him at 3 to break and sell on he is now 17 and going nowhere have hunted his legs off why open a gate when you can jump it YEEHAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bluesparks]

]


yeah at last done a pic upload of him (i hope) this is tom

 

[Bluesparks]

Tom again!!

 

[Shazzababs]

I have a TB\CB and his is definitely quirky, but only in a clever pony sort of way.

He can be a bucker, and anything faster than a trot in a group completely blows his brains (I only ever did 1 sponsored ride, and have never dared go hunting!).

I wouldn't have anything else, and when I come to look for another I will have a pure bred.

They are not really 'first' horses, as everyone I have met has been an 'independent' thinker. If you handle them right they are fantastic, but for a novice I could see how they could quickly become dangerous. Bred to pull carriages all day, they love to work, the more the better.

Here is a couple of pictures of my boy.

 

[ScratchyMooMoo]

Your horse sounds so similar to mine. Groups & hunting blow his brain too. Agree on the independent thinking as well, describes my boy perfectly!

 

[kezz86]

You've all just described my girl. Not 100% sure of her breeding (says brown mare in her passport, ha ha!) but was told she's cleveland x.

She loves jumping at 100 miles an hour and I bought her to get my confidence back which she is restoring in a spectacular way.

Love my girlie!

 

[bubbilygum]

My auntie has a couple of CBs and they are lovely. Only thing I have found with them is sometimes they need reminding that you are a person who doesnt want a massive horse in their pocket..! They are very loyal and loving, but as said before, you can't get them to do anything they don't want to do! I was riding one of them once and asked him to canter and he would NOT do it! I gave up in the end and enjoyed a nice trot instead!
They are beautiful horses and alarmingly rare... Listed as "critical" by Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Estimated to be less than 250 breeding age CBs in the world today.

 

[Serephin]

My first horse was a cleveland bay cross - she was the best horse ever, a total hunting machine. She could be a total witch as well though! I trusted her implicitly and we used to go out for hours hacking together. She was my horse of a lifetime.

 

[kempshills]

Here was I looking for a review of knee boots and couldn't resist this thread!

OP there is a database now of DNA from Cleveland Bay lines, and they have identified the Cleveland Bay genes- contact the CBHS for more details They may be able to help you find your horse's parentage

I've had 4 now, wouldn't have any other breed of horse. My mare constantly makes me laugh! She had 13 owners in the space of 3 years, thankfully the lady who had her before me gave me her as I had just lost her mum, my horse in a million, but Tess is certainly filling her shoes really well. I have had to give up riding so we broke Tess to drive and every step of the way she took everything in her stride- we just made sure she had time to process what we wanted from her.

When Clevelands object at first they don't throw a tantrum or a hissy fit, you have to be able to read them to know when something's not sitting right with them. If they are strongly reacting at what you are doing, they are shouting at you!

But work it through with them and they will give you the moon on a plate. They are incredibly intelligent and if it doesn't make sense to them they won't do it. Encourage them and they will gladly work for you. You cannot beat a Cleveland, physically or metaphorically (sp?)

For those wanting a CB or a cross, have you tried oodle.com? They have a facility which looks through websites and alerts you via e-mail if there is an advert for whatever you're looking for. Also, Standardbreds have a lot of Cleveland blood in them (as do some Irish Draughts)- although they would never admit it!

 

[CBFan]

Love 'em! I backed my boy this year and quite simply he tries his heart out. If he doesn't understand what you're asking him to do, he quite simply doesn't do it until he does. You can't MAKE him do anything he doesn't want to do or feel safe / happy doing but once he does he will do it over and over again for you.

We have only been hacking once a week since september / october and this week I rode him alongside a high speed railway line for the first time and he didn't bat an eyelid. we are now often escorting our escort past scary things - this weekend it was a fallen tree other times it has been a car bumper in the bushes, plastic sacks etc etc. He's generally not easily spooked and thinks things through before he reacts, hense he may take a little longer to do things than another horse but he generally does it willingly all the same.

He does have a mean buck which he generally only applies when hes showing off and a real cheeky streak and is certainly not 'stupid' as many people remark. He's always looking for new ways to apply himself... even if it is not always in the most possitive way... I liken him to a super intelligent school child who's lessons are too simple for him... he gets bored and starts getting disruptive! lol! he is only 4 though.

 

[Dollysox]

My oldie is a CB x TB and she's the best horse in the world, ever. She's exactly like all of the others mentioned - highly intelligent, cheeky, fierce buck (although this is a bit diluted now with age), loyal, loving, adores her food, independent thinker, can't be bullied, sensible (most of the time), stubborn, adores jumping, loves working and particularly learning new things, and blows her brains out in a crowd (I too have only ever done one sponsored ride on her!). She's wonderful, I love her to bits and would have another in an instant.