SufFolks 25 



and thereby taught to know man not as an enemy but as a friend. 

 It thus gains confidence. A bridle with a well-covered bit is then 

 adjusted, and the colt is left to think matters over. The next stage 

 in " breaking in " may seem risky to those accustomed to less docile 

 breeds. The colt is sent to plough for half a day by the side of 

 an old stager; coaxed and calmed by the voice of the ploughman 

 and by the confidence of its fellow worker, it does its share of 

 the day's work. The Suffolk horse is naturally of a kind dispo- 

 sition, and bad-tempered horses, although rarities, when they do 

 occur are the result of rough handling. 



Several years ago the breed obtained the reputation of being 

 particularly liable to various troubles. Whether this breed was 

 actually worse than any other is a doubtful matter. But as soon 

 as breeders realized the importance of soundness, and the Suffolk 

 Agricultural Association had taken drastic steps to eliminate 

 hereditary diseases by a veterinary examination at all shows after 

 the judging, the breed was gradually placed on a firmer footing 

 in respect to health, and to-day it may be honestly affirmed that it 

 is one of the soundest breeds of horses in England. In fact, at the 

 present day, practically every horse entered passes the veterinary 

 examination successfully. 



Constitutionally the Suffolk is remarkably strong. It is able 

 to thrive and work well on rations poor both in quantity and 

 quality; and the rations that would only keep one of the largei 

 breeds of cart horses in working condition would tend to fatten the 

 Suffolk. In their native home the horses are accustomed to go 

 without food for long hours; from 6.30 in the morning till 3 in 

 the afternoon is the usual practice, and although they are allowed 

 half an hour's rest at 1 1 o'clock they are given neither food nor 

 water. One might imagine that this treatment would be liable to 

 curtail the life of a horse, but the Suffolk Punches live to a good 

 old age. Their power of fecundity is remarkable. Cases are on 

 record of stallions travelling for as many as twenty-five years, 

 whilst mares are frequently met with twenty or more years old 

 with colts by their sides. Prejudice, partly founded on fact and 

 partly founded on fiction, has done much to prevent farmers in 

 other parts of our islands from taking up the breed. 



Often it is affirmed that the Suffolks have too little bone. 

 That they have certainly less than the Shires must be admitted, but 

 we must remember that the question is not so much of quantity 

 as of quality. The bone of the Suffolk is very similar to that 

 of the Thoroughbred and therefore of paramount excellence, and 

 the horse proves by the age to which it lives, by its general 



