The Cleveland Bay is NOT a Warmblood. It is a BREED registry, which is not allowing outcrossing as the Warmbloods do, getting back into the Purebred book. To bring in outside blood, the CB cross and all its produce, need to be crossed back with CB several times, inspected, before getting into the Purebred book. Used to be 8 crosses back into CB, not sure of present requirements. There has to be a major time commitment to produce and breed those animals long enough to get back to the CB book with new (small amount) blood.
Warmblood Registry of various countries has changed their standards to produce more modern horses numerous times. Horses who were the top producers were sold because they no longer want their foals or style produce being presented. Americans thought they made a real coup buying a “name” horse, but were actually taking unwanted horses for big prices, to use here in the US. The whole LOOK of that Registry changed what produce looked like within 7 years. Usually always to a lighter bodied horse. Prettier faces sell better. Look back in the winners records, you can see actual changes happening. Not so with the Heritage breeds.
I would list the Cleveland Bays as a Heritage Breed, as are Lippizaners, Fresians, Andalusians, or even TBs which only accept horses from registered parents of that breed. No outcrossing is both their strong and weak points. These breeds are very special, unique in their qualities and standards of body. Then other breeds can use these qualities to improve, change or go back to for basics if needed. These set breeds are pretty unchanged for at least a hundred years, look like they did back then, when the WB breeding was started. TBs would be the exception, lighter bodied with increased speed, by breeding horses that are successful in racing. A most specialized breed.
Without these Heritage basics available, everything being homegenized or specialized for skills, there are no choices to change breeding in a new direction. I find it very hard to tell one WB horse from another by looking at him. Nothing unique, as the Sporthorses line up to diferentiante in my choices for use. Kind of like Western horses, they meet a style, but you SHOULD be able to pick a breed of horse from the group by looking at him. They say once bone size is lost, it is really gone. I sure don’t want to have draft blood to get needed bone size on my larger horse. Drafts are not the direction I want to go, they have their own problems. Clevelands have bone size, do pass it on. Temperment is often questionable in some WBs, not suitable for lesser skilled riders, not talented enough for the best riders. Might be a time to bring in a Heritage breed for crossing, get a quieter animal for lower level skills.
This is right along the lines with diversity in plants and food. Most corn is related, all across the USA. If some disease comes along, it could wipe out all production of corn, because they have no natural immunity. Tomatoes are similar in being closely related.
You need to keep a wide and varied breeding base for horses. Look at all the new and nasty diseases in QH, breeding the special lines to win. Line breeding and Inbreeding until the horse may be his own cousin AND uncle. Bad genes get prominent with no new ones being introduced into the mix. TBs with their narrow winning-race lines producing the most foals. You breed the winners of races, not the losers. Some families are just better, get bred more. Hunter TB families don’t make money in breeding or selling, why keep the old families going if you don’t get mares in to use him? Everyone wants to breed to the “popular lines” so they can have “a winner” too! Buyers only recognize the well-known horses who win or advertise a lot, in pedigrees. Fewer and fewer choices in lines to pick from, any breed or Registry of WB horses.
Our Bugatti horse daughter rides for all her activities, is by the horse pictured, Harrington Spartan. A real nice producing stallion.
