Suffolk (Suffolk Punch)

Overview

The Suffolk Horse, better known by its older name the Suffolk Punch, is one of the four breeds of heavy horse in Britain, alongside the Shire, the Clydesdale and the Percheron. The Suffolk Horse Society calls it the oldest breed of heavy horse in Great Britain to exist in its present form. Its colour is always chesnut, which the society spells in the traditional Suffolk way, without the middle "t". The Rare Breeds Survival Trust says the "Punch" name comes from its round, muscular, "punchy" build.

History

The breed dates back at least to the 16th century. Every Suffolk alive today traces its male line to one stallion, Crisp's Horse of Ufford, foaled in 1768. The breed was developed for the heavy clay soils of Suffolk and Norfolk, ploughing and pulling loads on farms, and in the First World War it pulled guns and heavy supply wagons. The Suffolk Horse Society was formed in 1877, and its first stud book appeared in 1880. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust calls it the oldest continuous stud book of any English heavy horse.

Tractors began replacing farm horses in the early 1940s, a trend that accelerated hugely during and after the Second World War. Many farm horses were sent for slaughter. By 1966 only nine foals were registered in the stud book. A few farmers kept the breed going, and registrations climbed gradually to 50 foals in 2010. They have since dipped again: 34 foals were registered in the UK in 2019 and 32 in 2020.

Breed standard

• Colour: chesnut, and no other colour is allowed. Seven shades were historically defined (dark liver, dull dark, light mealy, red, golden, lemon and bright). The society now accepts liver, dark, red, light or bright chesnut. Whole colour is preferred, but some white on the face and a scattering of silver or white hairs on the body are allowed. White to the fetlock is allowed but is a fault, and is not acceptable in breeding stallions.
• Height: 15¾ hh to 17 hh at maturity, though some individuals exceed 17 hh.
• Head: big, with a broad forehead, but elegant and well proportioned.
• Neck and shoulder: deep in the collar, tapering gracefully to the head; a long, muscular shoulder, well thrown back at the withers.
• Body: a wide, level back with a graceful outline through the loin and quarters, and the tail well set up; broad in front, with great depth of heart.
• Legs: short in proportion to the body, with straight forelegs, big flat knees, long clean hocks on short cannons, and good flat bone. Elbows turned in and straight hind legs are serious defects.
• Feet: large, strong and round, with a wide coronet and a strong, open heel.
• Action: a smart, true walk with a quick, springing action; a well-balanced, level trot with good straight action.

Temperament and uses

A few owners still use Suffolks for farm work, and there is growing interest in using them for low-impact logging and general haulage. They are popular at agricultural shows, and more owners now ride them, with some hunting or competing. The breed society notes that as Suffolks are used less for walking work and more for riding and driving at the trot, breeders are likely to select horses to suit the new work, and the breed may change.

Conservation

The Suffolk is a Priority breed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Watchlist. The Suffolk Horse Society gives a total UK population of fewer than 500. It supports breeders with grants to mare and stallion owners, and uses modern genetic studies to help owners choose the best mate for their horse.