SufFolks 2 1 



been unravelled. Mr. Biddell, to whom every Suffolk breeder and 

 every lover of the breed owes a deep debt of gratitude, has sifted 

 every scrap of information. Old horse dealers were interviewed, 

 thorough search was made through all books that might in any 

 way mention Suffolks, and no stone was left unturned by Mr. 

 Biddell in his efforts to obtain reliable information as to the his- 

 tory of the breed. 



The Suffolk horse is without doubt the oldest pure breed of 

 cart horses in England, and early in the last century it was recog- 

 nized to be a breed of true blood. Arthur Young was the first 

 writer to mention the Suffolk horse, and the antiquity of the breed 

 can be realized when we learn that even in Young's childhood, in 

 1 74 1, the Suffolk was probably known as "The Old Breed". 



It seems rather unfortunate that Young did not make further 

 enquiries as to its history up to that period. He seemed neither 

 impressed nor pleased by the Suffolk of his time. Perhaps he 

 exaggerated somewhat, or perhaps humour guided his pen, for he 

 writes that " an uglier horse could hardly be viewed ", and that " it 

 could trot no better than a cow". Yet strangely enough, about 

 the same time Sir Thomas Cullum mentions that he used the 

 Suffolks for his own carriages, and Jerry Cullum in 1800 describes 

 the horses as being good movers, particularly suited for carriage 

 work. We can hardly imagine that Sir Thomas Cullum should 

 care to ride behind a creature that "trotted no better than a cow" 

 and was so extremely ugly, or that Jerry Cullum should recom- 

 mend such an animal for carriage purposes. 



But we can rest assured that the Suffolk of 1741 was not the 

 handsome creature of to-day, which is the result of so much careful 

 breeding. Even in those days, whatever its looks, whether hand- 

 some or ugly, good prices were obtained, for at Sir R. Hartland's 

 sale in 18 10, ;^I40 was paid for a Suffolk brood mare, and ;^40 was 

 realized for a foal ; certainly good prices. 



The first Suffolk horse of which there is any definite description 

 was Crisp's horse (404). In 1773 a Suffolk horse without any 

 particular name was advertised as a five-year-old, " to get good 

 stock for coach or road ". The famous coaches that were to run 

 between London and Brighton, and London and Bristol, were then 

 little thought of. The coaches referred to in the advertisement 

 were four-wheeled springless post-chaises, which, drawn by horses 

 of bovine tendencies, must certainly have been far from pleasant to 

 ride in. A later advertisement mentions that breeders who have 

 been unsuccessful the previous year may have the use of this 

 horse at a fee of 5^., and describes it as " a fine bright chestnut, 



