
06/07/2025
CLEVELAND BAYS | From the 1880s to now! The Cleveland Bay stud was founded here in Victorian times where the breed was reared to work on the estate, for sale in the UK and export overseas. They were very popular then, when they were used as carriage horses because they were strong and ‘steady’, as well as uniform in colour.
By the 1970s, the breed had fallen out of favour and there were only four stallions left in the world. Two of these were at Cholderton and though they had no economic value at the time, Captain L Edmunds (Henry Edmunds’ father) had great affection for them and so kept them on the Estate. It was so fortunate that he did, as the Cleveland Bays are one of our native rare breeds and still a priority equine on the watchlist given their endangered status.
We are delighted to have two very sweet Cleveland Bay foals born on the farm once again. It is so wonderful to see the line continue once again and continues to be an important part of the estate’s history.