Suffolk Punch Draft Horses
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History Of The Suffolk Punch
(From www.suffolkpunch.com)
Today's best-known breeds of draft horses are said to date back to the great war horses of Medieval
times. But while these great titans clashed in mortal combat, the quiet farmers of eastern England went
about developing their own breed of heavy horse, the Suffolk Punch. This one breed is today the least
known to Americans, and yet perhaps has more qualities appealing to the American breeder and draft
horse employer than any of the better-known breeds of draft horses.
The homeland of the Suffolk horses is Norfolk and Suffolk counties.
It is bordered on the north, east and south by the North Sea and on the west by the Fens. Isolated
from their neighbors, the farmers of Suffolk independently developed breeds of livestock to fit their
special way of life. To plow the heavy clay soil they needed an agricultural horse with power, but also
stamina, health, longevity, and docility. So these fine husbandmen produced the Suffolk horse and
bred him for the attributes that fulfilled their needs.
The Suffolk farmer used his horses to till and harvest his own land, so seldom did he have horses to
sell. This not only kept the Suffolk relatively unknown but also pure, remaining unchanged and true to
his original purpose: to be a strong and faithful worker for his master. Of all the draft breeds, the
Suffolk is one of the oldest in existence with records dating back to 1880. Crisp's Horse of Ufford, the
foundation stallion of the breed was foaled in 1768.
The Suffolk in North America was hard hit by the headlong mechanization of the post World War II
period. Although it had made great strides in popularity during the 30's, it still did not have the
numerical base necessary to withstand the onslaught of the 50's.
For a few years the American Suffolk Horse Association ceased to function. Then in the early 60's as
the draft horse market began its recovery, the few widely scattered breeders who had kept faith with
their Suffolks reorganized, holding their first meeting in 15 years in May of 1961.
The early 70's some outstanding horses were imported from England. While interest in the draft horse
in general was expanding, the demand for Suffolks also began to increase. The early 80's saw an
encouraging increase in the number of Suffolks registered and once again there have been some
excellent horses imported from England.
Breed Standard
Suffolks are large, symmetrical and uniform in color and type. Their frames are supported by clean,
dense bone. Due to their extreme draftiness, the legs of the Suffolk appear short and are strongly
muscled in forearms and gaskins. They are placed well under the horse and are free of long hair.
Their excellent feet are round, of fair size and wear extremely well, shod or unshod.
Suffolks possess intelligent heads with active ears, powerful and arching necks that are clean cut at
the throat. The shoulders are inclined to be upright, suitable for power rather than action. The back is
short and strong, the ribs springing high from the backbone. The quarters are long and smooth to the
root of the tail, which springs higher up than in other breeds. The hipbones are wide apart but
smoothly covered, the croup usually level.
Depth and thickness from the withers to the leg are essential and a Suffolk should be as deep in the
flank as over the heart.
Characteristically the whole appearance of the Suffolk is a pleasant, roundly modeled whole that
pertains, like the singleness of color, to no other breed.
The average height of a Suffolk horse is 16.1 hands, but many stallions may stand up to 17 hands and
more.
The Suffolk is a horse of splendid disposition and easy temperament. He exhibits a ready willingness to
work, great endurance, and the quality known as "Heart", the inner determination to push on. The
Suffolk farmer referred to this quality when he said he valued the Suffolk as "a puller of dead weight
and indeed a good drawer."
Their color is chestnut, ranging in shade from light golden to dark liver. White markings occur, but in
general are not as prominent as in other breeds, most of them being confined to a star or snip and
white ankles or fetlocks. No other color is tolerated or is admissible to registry in the Stud Book.
The beauty of the Suffolk is best summed up in the words of the writer, Marguerite Henry, when she
said: "His color is bright chestnut--like a tongue of fire against black field furrows, against green corn
blades, against yellow wheat, against blue horizons. Never is he any other color."
Above information courtesy of www.suffolkpunch.com
(From www.suffolkpunch.com)
Today's best-known breeds of draft horses are said to date back to the great war horses of Medieval
times. But while these great titans clashed in mortal combat, the quiet farmers of eastern England went
about developing their own breed of heavy horse, the Suffolk Punch. This one breed is today the least
known to Americans, and yet perhaps has more qualities appealing to the American breeder and draft
horse employer than any of the better-known breeds of draft horses.
The homeland of the Suffolk horses is Norfolk and Suffolk counties.
It is bordered on the north, east and south by the North Sea and on the west by the Fens. Isolated
from their neighbors, the farmers of Suffolk independently developed breeds of livestock to fit their
special way of life. To plow the heavy clay soil they needed an agricultural horse with power, but also
stamina, health, longevity, and docility. So these fine husbandmen produced the Suffolk horse and
bred him for the attributes that fulfilled their needs.
The Suffolk farmer used his horses to till and harvest his own land, so seldom did he have horses to
sell. This not only kept the Suffolk relatively unknown but also pure, remaining unchanged and true to
his original purpose: to be a strong and faithful worker for his master. Of all the draft breeds, the
Suffolk is one of the oldest in existence with records dating back to 1880. Crisp's Horse of Ufford, the
foundation stallion of the breed was foaled in 1768.
The Suffolk in North America was hard hit by the headlong mechanization of the post World War II
period. Although it had made great strides in popularity during the 30's, it still did not have the
numerical base necessary to withstand the onslaught of the 50's.
For a few years the American Suffolk Horse Association ceased to function. Then in the early 60's as
the draft horse market began its recovery, the few widely scattered breeders who had kept faith with
their Suffolks reorganized, holding their first meeting in 15 years in May of 1961.
The early 70's some outstanding horses were imported from England. While interest in the draft horse
in general was expanding, the demand for Suffolks also began to increase. The early 80's saw an
encouraging increase in the number of Suffolks registered and once again there have been some
excellent horses imported from England.
Breed Standard
Suffolks are large, symmetrical and uniform in color and type. Their frames are supported by clean,
dense bone. Due to their extreme draftiness, the legs of the Suffolk appear short and are strongly
muscled in forearms and gaskins. They are placed well under the horse and are free of long hair.
Their excellent feet are round, of fair size and wear extremely well, shod or unshod.
Suffolks possess intelligent heads with active ears, powerful and arching necks that are clean cut at
the throat. The shoulders are inclined to be upright, suitable for power rather than action. The back is
short and strong, the ribs springing high from the backbone. The quarters are long and smooth to the
root of the tail, which springs higher up than in other breeds. The hipbones are wide apart but
smoothly covered, the croup usually level.
Depth and thickness from the withers to the leg are essential and a Suffolk should be as deep in the
flank as over the heart.
Characteristically the whole appearance of the Suffolk is a pleasant, roundly modeled whole that
pertains, like the singleness of color, to no other breed.
The average height of a Suffolk horse is 16.1 hands, but many stallions may stand up to 17 hands and
more.
The Suffolk is a horse of splendid disposition and easy temperament. He exhibits a ready willingness to
work, great endurance, and the quality known as "Heart", the inner determination to push on. The
Suffolk farmer referred to this quality when he said he valued the Suffolk as "a puller of dead weight
and indeed a good drawer."
Their color is chestnut, ranging in shade from light golden to dark liver. White markings occur, but in
general are not as prominent as in other breeds, most of them being confined to a star or snip and
white ankles or fetlocks. No other color is tolerated or is admissible to registry in the Stud Book.
The beauty of the Suffolk is best summed up in the words of the writer, Marguerite Henry, when she
said: "His color is bright chestnut--like a tongue of fire against black field furrows, against green corn
blades, against yellow wheat, against blue horizons. Never is he any other color."
Above information courtesy of www.suffolkpunch.com
Shown above is "Tom," one of Lee's Suffolk Punch draft horses. Although the reins are
dragging (normally they are coiled on the hames), Tom is pulling the log with no one
driving him.
dragging (normally they are coiled on the hames), Tom is pulling the log with no one
driving him.
Suffolk Punch Horses: A Rare Breed of British Origin
Printed with permission. From http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/suffolk.html
The Suffolk Punch horse has a long and well-established history as a draught animal of English origin.
Arthur Young, one of the earliest writers on British livestock, and who himself came from Suffolk, was
the first to refer, in 1771, to the area’s 'noble breed of horfes', as a distinct breed. He noted that even in
his childhood (he was born in 1741) the Suffolk was referred to as ‘The Old Breed.’ It is almost certainly
the oldest existing pure breed of draught horse to have originated in England.
William Youatt in 1837, and David Low in 1845, both equally renowned as recorders of early livestock in
Britain, also wrote enthusiastically of the Suffolk, noting its distinctive 'stout or punchy form', with large
head and deep neck, and particularly its steadiness in draught – 'no horses exerted themselves better
at a dead pull'. The Shiels painting of a Suffolk Punch shown here was commissioned by David Low in
the 1830s, to illustrate his work.
But the two features which at first glance most distinguished the Suffolk Punch from other British
draught horses were its colour – generally described as chesnut (although it could vary from dun to
sorrel), and the lack of the ‘feathering’ which is so characteristic of the Clydesdale and Shire, on its
heels. Robert Wallace, writing in 1888, thought the Suffolk’s body looked 'much too heavy' for its 'clean
and fine' legs.
(One interesting historical fact relating to the Suffolk Punch concerns how its colour is spelled.
Correctly, and traditionally, it is spelled ‘chesnut’ – with no ‘t’ after the ‘s’ – as this is how the word was
always written prior to 1820 and therefore how it appears in original descriptions.)
Today the Suffolk Punch survives in only small numbers in various countries throughout the world. The
Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the breed as ‘critical’ in Britain.
While it is believed that the Suffolk Punch was imported into New Zealand in the colonial period, we
have not located any ‘hard’ evidence of this – if it did arrive, it probably did not survive here as a breed.
Recently, however, Suffolk Punches have been imported (or reimported) into New Zealand, and they
are now being bred here, although in very low numbers.
Printed with permission. From http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/suffolk.html
The Suffolk Punch horse has a long and well-established history as a draught animal of English origin.
Arthur Young, one of the earliest writers on British livestock, and who himself came from Suffolk, was
the first to refer, in 1771, to the area’s 'noble breed of horfes', as a distinct breed. He noted that even in
his childhood (he was born in 1741) the Suffolk was referred to as ‘The Old Breed.’ It is almost certainly
the oldest existing pure breed of draught horse to have originated in England.
William Youatt in 1837, and David Low in 1845, both equally renowned as recorders of early livestock in
Britain, also wrote enthusiastically of the Suffolk, noting its distinctive 'stout or punchy form', with large
head and deep neck, and particularly its steadiness in draught – 'no horses exerted themselves better
at a dead pull'. The Shiels painting of a Suffolk Punch shown here was commissioned by David Low in
the 1830s, to illustrate his work.
But the two features which at first glance most distinguished the Suffolk Punch from other British
draught horses were its colour – generally described as chesnut (although it could vary from dun to
sorrel), and the lack of the ‘feathering’ which is so characteristic of the Clydesdale and Shire, on its
heels. Robert Wallace, writing in 1888, thought the Suffolk’s body looked 'much too heavy' for its 'clean
and fine' legs.
(One interesting historical fact relating to the Suffolk Punch concerns how its colour is spelled.
Correctly, and traditionally, it is spelled ‘chesnut’ – with no ‘t’ after the ‘s’ – as this is how the word was
always written prior to 1820 and therefore how it appears in original descriptions.)
Today the Suffolk Punch survives in only small numbers in various countries throughout the world. The
Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the breed as ‘critical’ in Britain.
While it is believed that the Suffolk Punch was imported into New Zealand in the colonial period, we
have not located any ‘hard’ evidence of this – if it did arrive, it probably did not survive here as a breed.
Recently, however, Suffolk Punches have been imported (or reimported) into New Zealand, and they
are now being bred here, although in very low numbers.
| New Zealand Suffolk Punch filly (Owned and photographed by Bonnie Smith) |
| More information on the Suffolk Punch can be found at the following websites: http://www.suffolkpunch.co m/info/brochure.html http://www.equiworld.com/s sa/suffolkpunch/index.htm http://www.bbar.com/www/d raft/index.html http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/ breeds/horses/suffolk/inde x.htm http://www.mhref.com/breed s/suffolk/index.html |