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TOFT HOUSE LAD (1739) Foaled 11 April 1917 Toft House Lad was probably the best Cleveland stallion between the wars and arguably one of the best this century. Unlike so many modern horses, he combined a highly successful show career for over 20 years producing quality stock, whilst travelling around usually in the North Riding but 711 occasionally further afield. He was held in very high regard by the farmers and horsemen of the area, becoming something of a celebrity, with locals walking miles just to see him parade. Nearly sixty years after his death, people still become emotional when they talk of him, he is the one they all remember. Cholderton Ryecroft, reported to be the best Cleveland colt in the world in 1924 is almost forgotten. But mention Toft House Lad and old wrinkled -faces immediately brighten, and when a picture is produced it is usually greeted with "bye, he was a good un, you don't get them like im anymore". This is then followed by a tale or two of how their paths had crossed but never a word said against him. But was he the horse everyone fondly remembers? Or is he a product of time and those rose tinted spectacles? Just how good was he? George Elders of Toft House Farm, Aislaby, bred him out of a bought in mare Woodland Starlight (1328). The Woodland prefix belonged to a Mr Grandage of Thorn Bank, Bradford, and later of Yeadon near Leeds. The Stud Book states that Starlight was by Woodland Pride (1659) out of -Woodland Briar (1269) which at first glance indicates two home bred horses. However Pride was in fact bred by the Elders family out of Lady Stainthorpe, the well known brood and show mare, making him a half brother to Aislaby Lad and was originally named Toft House. Similarly Woodland Briar was bought in, she was shown by Frederick Wilson Horsfall of Potto when called Rose and following her sale she was re-entered in the stud Book with a different number, just to confuse things nicely. The first photograph we have of Toft House Lad is at the 1922 Great Yorkshire Show in Hull when the horse was five. It was by no means his first outing in the show ring at the top level. When the Royal Show was held at Darlington in 1920 he appears to have had a walkover in the 2/3 year old class and then took the Championship beating King George V's Beadlam Briscoe, winner of the senior stallion class. The following year at the Derby Royal, Toft House Lad was again first but stood reserve to Beadlam Briscoe at the Leeds Yorkshire. The 1922 Yorkshire had Clevelands competing with the Coach horses, Toft House Lad was placed above both Tantalus and Rillington Victor. At the time those 'mongrel' stallions had wrongly gained entry to the Cleveland Bay Stud Book by special resolution. Both were famed for their quality and action. John Willy Lett described Rillington Victor as the best horse of the last thirty years. Praise indeed considering the other horses he was comparing him with, and yet he was soundly trounced by the genuine article on this occasion. Admittedly Victor was now 12 years old with a long line of Royal Show wins behind him, but pedigree aside, was still a formidable show ring opponent. So how did Toft House Lad compare on the day?. Height 16.2hh, weight 1450 lbs, 9.5" bone and 83 inches of girth. These are all impressive figures but on the photograph we see he is covered in dapples, something very much frowned upon by old stalwarts of the breed. Other than the dapples however, we are looking at an extremely good colt, I say colt rather than stallion becasue he gives the impression of immaturity. At the 1923 Royal at Newcastle he stood second to his half brother Grange Lad, possibly the only time he ever did, so his new owner J W Lett had to wait for the Sheffield Yorkshire Show for a win in the senior class with him. Toft House Lad then had two seasons at the Royal Stud at Hampton Court reportedly siring some of the best stock ever bred there. When King George V decided to give up breeding Clevelands and Coach Horses in 1925 he presented the well known trophy to the society to be awarded to the Champion Stallion. Toft House Lad returned north to William Grayson's, a man who had had several of his half brothers through his hands at one time or another, he immediately put a strangle hold on the new trophy from 1925 to 1929. Major Jack Fairfax Blakeborough describing Toft House Lad after one of his wins wrote "He has developed into a fine specimen of the breed he is now well let down, has a great crest and goes. He fills ones eyes all round, though the ringside is saying it has taken him a bit to do it". In 1930 the Ministry of Agriculture offered a premium for him to travel the Aberdeen district for a season, rephtcing the Thoroughbred stallion belonging to the King. It was felt the draught mares of the area needed a horse with a better action, and with more bone and substance than a blood horse could offer. I have not found recorded anywhere yet how many mares were covered and miles tramped but it was described as a 'hard season', which probably cost him the stallion championship that year. It was perhaps fitting that his son Scagglethorpe Victor should be the one to beat him and also an indication of the quality of Toft House Lad to bounce back the following year to take the Kinge Geogre Trophy yet again as a 14 year old. As a getter of pure bred stock we must not jump to the conclusion that he was a failure with only 7 sons and 13 daughters registered, compared with hundreds of cross breds sired. Although some of his stock were described as coarse, the figures are more an illustration of the severe shortage of pure bred mares available rather tban the stock getting ability of the sire. The death of Toft House Lad left only three stallions in the Cleveland area - Morning Star, Newton Perfection and Broughton Lad. Nine of the pure breds were foaled in 1938 and 1939 when the Lad was already over 20. Nothing outstanding in that, modern stallion owners maybe thinking, but if we look at his stud card for 1937 when in the possession of J Wellburn of Stillington, we find that following a season in the York district he had returned to West Cleveland. When the question of awarding premiums was raised at the January Council meeting the report says "Old Toft House Lad came out with a burst into the running ..... he seems to be so wonderfully fresh, last season having some 47 mares in foal". There was no languishing at home eating coarse mix and alfalfa nuts like a modern horse waiting for the mares to come to him however. He was based at Miss Christy Anne Petch's farm at Primrose Hill between Great Broughton and Easby taking the place of Lord Broughton who had sadly died the year previously. This round took him through Guisborough, north to Marske, west as far as York and Stockton and south down into Bilsdale. Having plotted his route on a map, over roads familiar enough as they're on my doorstep, he would have covered at least 90 miles over the 6 working days in a week. This assumes he took the most direct route and doesn't allow for detours to call at any individual farms or pub yards etc. where mares were often covered. How many modern stallions could stand such a punishing routine? It was reported that 17 pure bred mares were covered from this season but no figure is avilable for hunter mares etc. The 1937 season produced the filly Phaedria (1511), out of the Cleveland Bay Syndicate's Cholderton Enchantress. If the filly is not familiar to the reader then her son Apollo most certainly will be. 1939 was the last stud season for Toft House Lad before he died. Although he had paraded as late as 1937 at the Cleveland Show when he stood second in the senior stallion class. The King George V competition was now dominated by the young Morning Star. War brought an end to the competition and it is perhaps to be expected that the last colt registered from his final season was patriotically called Loftus Spitfire. The death of Toft House Lad left only three stallions in the Cleveland Bay area - Morning Star, Newton Perfection and Broughton Lad. When compiling a promotional leaflet in the early fifties, Major Jack Fairfax Blakeborough chose a picture of Toft House Lad to represent a typical Cleveland stallion. He was hardly typical for he was an exceptional horse, both for his time and in the overall history of the breed. Probably the last phtograph taken of him was at the Cleveland Show on Redcar Racecourse, in what I believe to be 1937 when 20 years old. It shows a big weighty dark bay horse, with head held high and ears erect, good tempered and manageable so there was no need for a 'roller' and side reins. The picture is in black and white with not a rosy tint to be seen. TOFT HOUSE LAD SIMPLY THE BEST! R.I.P.
1998
Cleveland Bay Magazine No.31
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