The Suffolk is a chestnut-colored, full-bodied horse, with massive bone and great muscling. American Suffolk Horse Association
The American Suffolk Horse Association
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Today’s best known breeds of draft horses are said to have descended from the great warhorses of medieval times. While these titans clashed in mortal combat, however, the quiet farmers of eastern England went about developing their own breed of heavy horse, the Suffolk, sometimes called the Suffolk Punch. Today, the Suffolk is the least known of the major drafts in the United States, and yet it has perhaps the most appealing qualities to a breeder than any of the better known draft horses. It is outstanding as a utility animal and has beautiful conformation. This versatile horse is being both shown and used to perform the agricultural tasks for which it was bred.
History
The homeland of the Suffolk Horse is Norfolk and Suffolk Counties of England. These counties are bordered by the North Sea to the north, east, and south, and by the Fens, an area of low marshy land, to the west. Isolated from their neighbors, the farmers of Suffolk independently developed breeds of livestock to fit their particular way of life. To plow the heavy clay soil, they needed an agricultural horse that not only was powerful, but also had stamina, good health, life longevity, and docility. Accordingly, these fine husbandmen produced the Suffolk horse and bred into it these attributes.
Suffolk farmers used their horses to till and harvest their own lands, so seldom did they have horses to sell. This not only kept the Suffolk relatively unknown, but also pure, remaining unchanged and true to its original purpose—to be a strong and faithful worker for its 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 entire breed, was foaled in 1768.
The first Suffolks were imported to North America in the 1880s and the American Suffolk Horse Association was founded shortly thereafter.
The Suffolk in North America was hard hit by the headlong mechanization of the post–World War II period. When tractors were favored over horses, numbers dwindled. Although the breed had made great strides in popularity during the 1930s, the Suffolk still did not have the numerical base necessary to withstand the onslaught of the 1950s. For a few years, the American Suffolk Horse Association ceased to function. Then in the early 1960s, as the draft horse market began to recover, a few widely scattered breeders who had kept faith with their Suffolks reorganized.
The early 1970s saw some outstanding importations from England. While interest in the draft horse in general was expanding, the demand for Suffolks also began to increase. The early 1980s saw an encouraging increase in the number of Suffolks registered, along with more excellent importations from England. With continuing importations and a substantial increase in the number of registered Suffolks, the 1990s showed tremendous progress for the breed.
Today, there are between 1,500 and 2,000 Suffolks in North America. This is an approximate number because some are never registered for a variety of reasons. On average, the association registers one hundred horses a year, but it has only been in the last five years that it has hit the triple digits. With less than three hundred Suffolks in England and less than twenty-five hundred in global population, it is listed in the critical category with the Equus Survival Trust.
Characteristics
There is a consistency like none other in the Suffolk horse. Every Suffolk is a chestnut color and there is great uniformity in the breed type. The Suffolk appears to be shorter legged, but this is only due to the great muscling of the upper legs. Its back is short and strong, and the horse has massive bone and impressive strength. The Suffolk body type is in perfect harmony with all its parts, producing a very balanced horse. Its rounded, full bodied structure and brawn is utilized efficiently to get a job done. It is not an unusually tall or rangy horse, but carries the immense bulk of a true draft breed.
Suffolks are excellent workhorses, parade horses, or show horses. They have never been bred for high knee action. Their short cannon bone combined with a long forearm creates a wonderful, ground covering stride.
Suffolks are determined, yet gentle horses. They do not give up easily on any task, but accomplish it with a quiet focus that is greatly appreciated. They are patient with any handler, and most amateurs can safely handle a well-trained Suffolk team. Suffolks have wonderful temperaments and are a joy to work with, since they try hard to understand and do whatever needs to be done. Suffolk stallions are also great and willing workers that are much happier when they are working.
With the new trend toward a more ecological agricultural system, generally utilized on smaller farm lots, the horse has proven to have far less negative impact (on soil compaction and pollution, as examples) than a tractor. Suffolks in particular are efficient at maneuvering around wood sites without destroying young plants.
Suffolks are known as easy keepers. Good pasture and hay are sometimes supplemented with grain, but how much depends on many factors, including age, workload, where they live, and more. Suffolks need more grain when they are working, lactating, or breeding.
Standards
Suffolks applying for registration in the American Suffolk Horse Association must have a registered sire and dam. There are no part-bred registrations.
Suffolks are large, symmetrical, and uniform in color and type. Characteristically the whole appearance of Suffolk Horses is that of a pleasant, roundly modeled whole that pertains—like the singleness of color—to no other breed.
Suffolks possess intelligent heads with active ears. They have powerful, 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, with 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, and the croup is usually level.
Depth and thickness from the withers to the legs are essential, and Suffolks should be as deep in the flank as over the heart.
Their frames are supported by clean, dense bone. Due to their extreme draftiness, the legs appear short and are strongly muscled in forearms and thighs. The legs are placed well under the horse and are free of long hair, helping to easily shed the soil. Their excellent feet are round, of fair size, and wear extremely well, shod or unshod.
The height of Suffolks is between 15.2 and 16.2 hands, with the average being 16.1, but many stallions stand up to 17 hands and more. They can weigh anywhere between 1,400 to 2,100 pounds at maturity.
Their coat is a beautiful chestnut color, though there are many shades ranging from light golden, to red, to dark liver. The mane and tail can also vary in shade. White markings can 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 admissible to register the horse in the studbook.
Suffolks are horses of splendid disposition and easy temperament. They exhibit a ready willingness to work, and have great endurance and a quality known as heart, the inner determination to push on. A Suffolk farmer referred to this quality when he said that he valued the Suffolk as “a puller of dead weight and indeed a good drawer.”
Credit: The American Suffolk Horse Association