This was due to a need for strength more than speed on the farms and poor roads of 17th- and 18th-century England. As roads improved and speed became more important[17] in the late 18th century, Thoroughbred and Arabian blood was added. The resulting horses were used extensively as coach horses,[3] and were lighter of frame, with a well-arched neck and powerful shoulders, making for a flashy carriage horse.[17] The Thoroughbred blood was added despite the claims of breeders that the Cleveland Bay was "free from taint of black or blood", meaning either Thoroughbred "blood" or the Old English "Black" and its descendants.