Queen Elizabeth II Saved An Entire Horse Breed From Extinction, And We Can’t Say 'Thank You' Enough

Jun 19, 2019 by apost team

Over the years, Queen Elizabeth has never hidden her love of horses. As a little girl, she was pictured riding horses and now even into her 90's her majesty has been seen riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle. However her passion for horses managed to save an entire horse breed from going extinct. 

According to BBC One, the Cleveland Bay was a reliable working horse that was used for coach pulling and war, however, "over the years their popularity started to dwindle and after the first world war, where they were used to pull artillery, the breed became severely depleted."

In the 1960s there were only a few stallions left in England and not many that could repopulate the breed. But The Queen stepped in at the last minute to help save the breed. 

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Her Majesty heard of the breed's endangerment which prompted her to buy a pure Cleveland Bay colt named Mulgrave Supreme.

According to the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, "Her Majesty made the horse available at public stud, and the breed suddenly found a new popularity with the English public that saw stallion numbers rise dramatically over the next ten years. Mulgrave Supreme became a household name in the horse world with many successful offspring competing in all disciplines." The Queen used Mulgrave Supreme to breed carriage horses and to be used for royal events. 

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the Cleveland Bay Horses are used to pick up ambassadors and high commissioners for The Queen. They are also used for day to day activities and as common workhorses.

However, the horse breed has unfortunately dwindled again. The Livestock Conservancy in the U.S. reports there only being as little as 1000 Cleveland Bays left. Hopefully, the Queen will come in the breed's darkest hour to save the horses once again. 

What do you think about the Queen saving a breed of horses from extinction? Do you have a passion for horses as well? Tell us below. Send this article to any horse lovers who would enjoy hearing this story.