"Suffolk" Photographic Art Print

The Suffolk horse is also known as the Suffolk Punch or the Suffolk Sorrel and is a heavy draught horse which was first bred in the 16th century to help with farm work. The Suffolk horse was developed in Norfolk and Suffolk by local farmers who needed a horse with power, stamina, health, longevity, and docility. The Rare Breed Survival Trust (RBST) has placed the Suffolk horse as number three on its list of farm breeds most likely to die out.

The Suffolk Punch stands at around 16.1 to 17.2 hands and is always chestnut in colour. Interestingly the traditional spelling which is still used by the Suffolk Horse Society is "chesnut". They tend to be shorter but more heavily built than other British heavy draught breeds, such as the Clydesdale or the Shire. They have a powerful, arching neck; well-muscled, sloping shoulders and a short, wide back. They mature early, are economical to feed, have great longevity and are very willing workers. As a result, the breed steadily gained in popularity peaking in the early 20th century.

However, as agriculture became increasingly mechanised, the breed fell out of favour leading to its current status as critically endangered.

The Suffolk Horse Society, formed in Britain in 1877 to promote the Suffolk Punch, published its first stud book in 1880 and this shows that there were more than 1,400 stallions and 1,124 mares registered in the UK, mostly in East Anglia at that time. In 2018 there are only 80 viable breeding females left in the UK and so desperate measures are now being taken to preserve the animal's future. These include the collection of genetic samples from stallions across the globe to ensure enough variance survives to kickstart the breed if traditional methods fail.

Nowadays the Suffolk Horse is still used for draught work with smaller farms being encouraged to consider horse power instead of tractor power. They are also used in commercial forestry operations and for cross-breeding to produce heavy sports horses. As a symbol of the county in which they were bred, Ipswich Town Football Club incorporate a Suffolk Punch in their team crest.