Cleveland Bays and Cleveland bay X's - tell me about them please!

[Fools Motto]

As title. It's a breed I know nothing about, and as I've been offered to potentially have a CB x NF, I thought I'd ask here to find out a little more?!!
Thanks in advance.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

The CB I have known have been lovely looking horses but very strong willed to the point of being rude.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I had a CB years ago (late 70's) Nice horse looking horse but nappy and and not too genuine at times. The breed must be nearing endangered now you rarely see them.

 

[Lexi_]

My ex share horse was CB-Sec D cross and was an absolute delight. Think he inherited more of the Welsh temperament as he could be a bit daft (default reaction was to plant and gawp though, which I prefer to a spin-and-bog-off!) but was generally a lovely person, lots of fun to ride, never had a day lame in the 7 years I shared him and is now off jumping 1.10 at home and zooming down beaches with a teenager.

 

[Nudibranch]

Best riding horse I ever owned until my current Dales. Superb, do anything, jumped like a stag. Maybe a bit of a one person horse but genuine. Never said no, great in traffic, good over rough terrain and bold but not strong, other than going xc when she just needed a stronger bit. I'd have had another in a heartbeat but they're even harder to find than Dales sadly.

Perhaps one day their qualities will be recognised again and they'll come back into fashion but at the moment it's all about IDs and WBs. Maybe it's already too late.

Anyway the one I had was a horse of a lifetime and I wish she'd lived for longer.

 

[Bluewaves]

i met someone who looked after the Royal ones. I think he said some don’t have long working lives as they have either feet or leg problems due to inbreeding. I can’t remember the details. They look lovely though.

 

[onemoretime]

I had a 3/4 TB one 1/4 CB mare. I bought her as a yearling for £400 in 1983. She had Mulgrave Supreme on her dam side her dam being by Springvale Supreme. The mare herself was by Saunter the premium stallion. I had her for 20 years and she was the best horse I have ever had. She was so honest and genuine and so very kind. I lost her to colic when she had just turned 21 years old.

 

[ycbm]

The only full CB I've met have had ungenuine, and slightly mulish, temperaments.
.

 

[ihatework]

Not that many around these days. Can/could get some nice solid Hunter stamps, I’ve only known a couple and they were ignorant and backwards thinking, couldn’t pay me to take either of them.

 

[Batgirl]

I wouldn't go for a pure bred, I've known 2. Both 'bullish', jumped like stink, when they wanted and tanked like trains.
Both died young, one through arthritis/pain/pelvis and the other through a sudden brain bleed.

 

[spacefaer]

I had a TBxCB -by a HIS stallion called Bohemond out of a good hunter mare - he was probably 3/4TB
My horse of a lifetime - bought as an unbroken 5 yr old, went Advanced BE - jumped round Blenheim 3*, and was show jumping B&Cs.
Awesome hunter - jumped the best of the Ledbury and Heythrop in a snaffle.

As a young horse, did tend to be a bit light in front, like quite a few CBs I've come across - it's a driving horse evasion - but he outgrew that.

The purebred CBs I've met have tended to be stuffy and backwards thinking but very smart looking

 

[Sussexbythesea]

My friend has one now 26yrs. Although she’s had him since a 2yr old he’s always had a bullish naughty streak. He’s chucked her off a few times - last one only last Autumn which gave her concussion a trip in an ambulance and a couple of days in hospital. He can be difficult to lead and needs a bridle or chifney. I’ve got a soft spot for him and he’s certainly a character but not particularly biddable in nature. Still she’s had him 24 yrs and survived!

 

[ycbm]

Still she’s had him 24 yrs and survived!

?

 

[Rowreach]

Good grief, lots of negative reviews!

Mine was an absolute joy - bought him for next to nothing as an 8 year old "failed" eventer, because he was too strong for the teenage girl who had him, and he could be a bit cheeky, but he was utterly fabulous. I hunted him till he was 23, we did more than 500 full days hunting and nearly 300 autumn hunting, he evented and sj'd (cr*p at dressage but we made up for it doing the other bits). He went to RC champs a couple of times, was an epic hunter trialler and the easiest horse on the ground, unless you wanted to clip him He was never sick, sorry or lame, and I only retired him when he started tripping, which turned out to be a combination of ringbone and sidebone, aged 26.

I'd have another CB like a shot, but they're not terribly common in Ireland ...

 

[Rowreach]

My friend has one now 26yrs. Although she’s had him since a 2yr old he’s always had a bullish naughty streak. He’s chucked her off a few times - last one only last Autumn which gave her concussion a trip in an ambulance and a couple of days in hospital. He can be difficult to lead and needs a bridle or chifney. I’ve got a soft spot for him and he’s certainly a character but not particularly biddable in nature. Still she’s had him 24 yrs and survived!

I never came off mine in 20 (rather active) years, but we did once both hit the deck together when he slipped on chalky ground coming into a table fence and we both ended up halfway underneath it.

Edited to correct that, I forgot about the Lucinda Green clinic and the trakhener

 

[Catherine94]

I've had three pure breds, two of which I still have. They have a reputation for being stubborn, but from my experience, with good training and consistent handling, they are no more difficult than any other breed. As with all breeds, there are good ones and there are bad ones, but for some reason there is a lot of negativity surrounding the breed.

All of mine have had a lovely nature and are very straight forward to handle both from the ground and ridden. They're brave and laid back and I know I can trust them in almost every situation. They are perfectly polite out hacking and don't have any issues with farm machinery, motorbikes etc and they can be safely handled by my not very horse-wise 80 year old grandad with no concerns. They can both do a decent enough dressage test and have been absolute jumping machines, both showjumping and cross country, and have done fun rides, county level showing and been hunting. They can be strong at times, but no more so than any other horse thats just enjoying its job.

My mare is 21 years old and still going strong, still in full work and I can count on one hand the number of times she's been lame in the 18 years I've had her. She's been my primary riding horse for 12 years, has bred a foal and even took a 14 year old me to pony club camp, where I had the time of my life! My gelding is 13 and was a bit late to start his training due to school/university commitments but is progressing incredibly quickly and proving to be very trainable.

Personally I think they are lovely horses with lot of good traits, but I may be biased as the two I have now have honestly been the best horses I've ever had the pleasure of handling/riding, but I appreciate they're not for everyone!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I never came off mine in 20 (rather active) years, but we did once both hit the deck together when he slipped on chalky ground coming into a table fence and we both ended up halfway underneath it.

Edited to correct that, I forgot about the Lucinda Green clinic and the trakhener

I think he did make a good hunter and was pretty bold with a good jump and generally not spooky. Her daughter did a fair bit with him but he’s definitely a cheeky sod at times. Once I gave him a baileys nugget out riding and he never forgot. Every time we got to that same spot he’d stop expecting a treat ?. He comes over for walk visits now as retired after the last fall as had some lameness but walk only meant he wasn’t getting the exercise he needed to stop him being an idiot. But as I say I’m pretty fond of him as long as I don’t have to ride him ?.

 

[crazyandme]

I had a CB x Arab on loan for a year. Backed her myself and within a month she was out hacking alone, brave as anything. If she decided she liked you, she would do anything for you. If not, she'd ditch you pretty quick! Very much had an opinion, and would make it known, but if you made it clear that she was going to do it, she didn't argue beyond that. Not especially stubborn otherwise
She could be quite sharp, and was very adept at disappearing out from underneath me, which I couldn't cope with due to balance issues (dyspraxic). But otherwise lovely little mare. Only gave her up as I was moving to Italy and then Germany, and couldn't justify a horse
But she went to a family friends daughter, who had been having issues with ME. Girl was terrified on the first ride as even at 15.3, the mare was 2 hands bigger than anything she'd ever ridden before. But mare looked after her, and within 20 minutes they were cantering around the 15 acre field without a care in the world. Several years later they've been out competing 80km endurance rides and loving life!

 

[Leam_Carrie]

I’ve got a Cleveland Bay x ISH. I think she’s great. She hacks alone, does a dressage test and jumps. She is opinionated and can be stubborn, she’s also strong. We’re working to get her off her forehand, apparently her draft heritage makes her want to pull herself along. That said ridden by my coach she looks fab.

 

[Jango]

I've known a couple of purebreds, not my kind of horses! Very heavy, backwards and stubborn mostly, although not spooky or sharp. There's a reason IDs are so popular and CBs are dying out in my opinion... Crossed with Arabs they seem to be ok. Big hunter types aren't my thing, but looking at a decent ID Vs a decent CB I can't see why you would take the CB. It's likely to be less athletic and more stubborn.

 

[Rowreach]

Gorgeous CB head ?

 

[honetpot]

One word, stubborn. They just absorb work, they were carriage horses, so you need to find a reset button, do not think you can work it out of them.

 

[Rowreach]

One word, stubborn. They just absorb work, they were carriage horses, so you need to find a reset button, do not think you can work it out of them.

Thats a rather harsh generalisation ?

 

[DabDab]

I would love to own one some day (if they're not extinct). I've known two purebreds - the first was my boss' hunter who I exercised for fitness and the other was one I backed. I was very much smitten with both of them. They were solid and brave without being boring, I just loved their personalities and wow could they both jump. Although, I never bothered either of them with attempts at schooling ?

 

[Zuzan]

I have a CB x TB .. had her since she was 2 .. she is a horse of a lifetime .. she's going to be 19 in May and still going strong ... she is far far more talented than me .. literally will turn her hoof to anything. Big on character but an absolute sweetie, really really likes to please and very very into humans. Very astitue character judge. If you are geniune she will be. Very sure footed and able to sort herself out over difficult / tricky terrain. Hacks alone without turning a hair. Great hunter conformation, great constitution, easy to keep and superb rock crunching hooves. Also has excellent sense of humour.........................

 

[horsimous]

I used to ride a CB x TB, he was a lovely, great looking and quality hunter type. 17hh Bay with lovely dapples in his coat. A bit spooky but otherwise pretty genuine.

 

[Northern Hare]

I had a CBxTB mare. She had a phenomenal jump, but she was also able to stand bolt upright - like completely vertical, whenever she didn't want to do something. She was a nightmare really and I'd never have another.

 

[NeverSurrender]

I have a purebred gelding, he's very much a horse of a lifetime, but they seem to be marmite horses.

Mine would let me dress him up and do gymkhana games backwards on him, won a handy pony, he lets me take jump off angles that are fairly hairy, and tends to be entirely bemused and tolerant of my antics instead of condemning me (because he has let me do all of these things), but I am well aware that he is tolerant of this because he has the bond with me and has chosen me as 'his'. All the CBs I've met are very one-person horses and will pick their human. Hes much less forgiving with other people, although still not nasty and would never want to hurt you he would just give you a flat and blunt no and nothing will persuade him otherwise.

He can also be spontaneously sharp and has a fairly brutal buck in him, which all of the CBs I've known also have! So not for the faint of heart.

The only reason I don't want another is mine torments my poor boyfriend with awkward and poor behaviour despite being immaculately mannered for everyone else, so I have promised him we can down size!

 

[Red-1]

I owned a CB X TB mare, amazing horse. By Forrest Superman.

She had been a fieldmaster's horse, had won a PTP members race, then pulled both tendons the next year trying. She had a ton of try.

I bought her while she was in recovery, she had started light work a year after the injury. She taught someone to ride, so had another easy year, then I took her on. She was the most astonishing hunter. Front, back, separate, give a lead, wait behind. Nothing too big to jump, nothing too trappy. I did bloodhounds and she never once said no, was so careful, double of 5 bar gates, river, big hedge country, whatever.

I took her SJ, she won a newcomers.

She certainly had a personality, treat her fairly and she was fine.

I also rode a pure bred CB. That one was not my cup of tea. Sometimes belligerent. Far too wide, a real hip-hurter. Pidgeon toed too. But, he too had loads of good points. He too never cowed down from life, jumped surprisingly well and carefully, 100% traffic. If he knew what his job was and was told to do it, he was a real workhorse.

I really wanted another CB X TB, went to look at a couple a few years back, but they were not as well put together as the one I had. If I found one now, I would snap it up.

 

[be positive]

I have had 3 for varying periods of time,
1 was very sharp but did a good job as a decent level RC/ low aff allrounder, no idea of what he was crossed with but he looked almost purebred but was only about 15.3.
2 evented to a decent level winning a BE novice during his time with me, he was sold on as a junior horse and continued to event successfully until retiring to hunt, he was I think CB x tb.
3 came in as a just backed stroppy but easy to deal with once he understood the rules, 4 year old, he was by a CB out of a pony mare so had a pony attitude in many ways although he was 15.2, he won every show class I did in his first season, sold on to a dressage/ show home but sadly retired aged 8? due to arthritis, he had a strange upbringing with very limited turnout which was probably why he had such a short working life.