Chapman horse

The Chapman horse is an extinct horse breed once native to England. The name Chapman came about because it was used by chapmen, or traveling salesmen, as a pack horse.

The Chapman was an "all-purpose horse". Besides being a pack horse, it was popularly used to haul raw wool and iron ore to mills. The Chapman horse could also be found as a riding horse, a farming horse and a carriage horse. The Chapman horse was relatively short, featherless and eventually established as purely bay.

It was not until the English Civil War that a great deal of new blood was introduced to the Chapman horse. Spanish horses were imported, and eventually bred to the native horses. In 1661 Charles II married Catherine of Braganza which created heavy trade between England and the port of Tangier in northern Africa. This brought Barb horses into Europe, which were bred to the Chapman horses. The descendants of their offspring gave rise to the Cleveland Bay horse.

In the 1700s, Arabian stock was added to the bloodlines of the Chapman horse because breeders wanted taller, faster and lighter horses for pulling carriages. The Chapman horse became so heavily infiltrated by outside bloodlines that the original breed disappeared, causing the Chapman horse to become extinct.

The Chapman horse heavily contributed to the Cleveland Bay horse breed.