HEAVY DRAUGHT HORSES. 109 



and over-topped. I now think very highly of the breed. Those 

 that I know were not soft, nor over-feathered, and worked 

 splendidly— far better than any other horse we had. The huge 

 body, heavy neck and head were made full use of by the animal 

 while in draught. Instead of starting the load entirely by push- 

 ing with the hind legs, these animals used their weight by 

 leaning into the collar and throwing the weight forward. Con- 

 stitutionally they appear to be very strong, and survived the 

 conditions at the Front, but in most cases that I can recall, the 

 Suffolk Punches were great pets in the Units and were very 

 carefully looked after by their drivers." 



There is a good deal of truth in the last paragraph of this 

 officer's report. Care is all important for the success of any breed 

 of horse in War, and the docility and the good condition always 

 maintained by the Suffolk are sure to find for him a place of 

 favour. Personally, from my small experience of the Suffolk 

 Punch, provided he is not over 16"1 in height — all above that 

 height being rigidly excluded as unsuitable and undesirable — I 

 consider him a v^y good and desirable War Horse. He is 

 hardy, active, and even-tempered. If he is small, there will be 

 no foot trouble. 



The Third and Fourth Armies in France reported well on 

 them: in fact these Armies classed Suffolk Punches before 

 Shires and Clydesdales for Military purposes. 



American Heavy Draught Horses. 



Though not so weighty and powerful as our best English 

 Heavy Draughts, the' American Percheron or Crossed Percheron 

 on the whole gave great satisfaction and was universally liked 

 during the War in France. He teams well, is active, has a 

 good constitution, is a good doer, and has good sound legs and 

 feet. The absence of hair on the legs was a great asset in 

 comparison to our English Heavies under the muddy circum- 

 stances of winter in the Forward Areas. He is best described 

 as a Medium Heavy, and as such he is quite big enough for the 

 Heavy Draught purposes of War. As a draught animal I do 

 not consider him in any way superior to our English Shire or 

 Clydesdale, or to the smaller of these breeds of which he may 

 be considered a parallel ; but there is no doubt that in War he 



