HORSES FOR HEAVY DRAUGHT. 619 



ployed in draught, a variety exists possessed of such peculia- 

 rities of form and colour, that it is properly regarded as a 

 family or breed. It is termed the Suffolk Punch Breed, from 

 the county of Suffolk, where it has been long reared, and from 

 the stout or punchy form distinctive of the individuals. It ex- 

 tends from Suffolk throughout the neighbouring counties of 

 Norfolk and Essex, where it is held in estimation for the pur- 

 poses of common labour. It is distinguished by its colour, 

 which is of a light dun or sorrel, sometimes deepening into 

 chestnut, with lighter coloured mane and tail. It was held to 

 be a useful kind of horse, naturally of moderate stature, and 

 though slow, possessed of good endurance. But for a long 

 period the breed has been largely crossed with other varieties, 

 so that it is now somewhat difficult to obtain the Suffolk Punch 

 in a state of purity. The older breed was especially valued 

 for the steadiness of the individuals in draught, and the true- 

 ness with which they performed their work of all kinds. No 

 horses exerted themselves better at a dead pull. A true 

 Suffolk Punch would draw almost till he dropped down. A 

 team, at a signal given, would, without a whip, bend in a 

 moment to their knees, and drag everything along.* This 

 property was so remarkable in the old Suffolk Punches, that 

 cruel wagers used to be laid on their powers of draught, and 

 many fine horses, it is said, were ruined by their indomitable 

 spirit. They were, besides, a hardy race of horses, capable 

 of subsisting on ordinary food. Their form, however, was 

 peculiarly plain. The heads were large, the necks short, the 

 muzzles coarse, the shoulders low and cloddy ; but the limbs 

 were short, the backs straight, the loins wide, and the haunches 

 well developed. The colour distinctive of this variety con- 

 nects it with the race widely diffused throughout the north 

 of Europe and Asia, from the Scandinavian Alps to the 

 plains of Tartary, in which the dun colour prevails. It is 

 believed to have been carried to the eastern counties of Eng- 



* Library of Useful Knowledge. 



