"THE ONLY DRAFT HORSE BRED FOR THE FURROW"
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. With continuing importations and a substantial increase in the number of registered Suffolks, the 90's have shown tremendous progress.
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."
If you are contemplating the buying of a draft horse where utility, beauty of conformation and uniformity in type are desired, please visit one of out breeders where these versatile horses are being both shown and used to perform the agricultural tasks for which they were breed.