THE SUFFOLK PUNCH. 
PLATE VII. 
Besides the heavy Black Horse, and the other larger horses of the country employed in draught, a variety exists possessed 
of such peculiarities of form and colour, that it is properly regarded as a family or breed. It is termed the Suffolk Punch, from 
the county of Suffolk, where it has been long reared, and from the stout or punchy form distinctive of the individuals. It extends 
from Suffolk throughout the neighbouring counties of Norfolk and Essex, where it is held in estimation for the purposes of com¬ 
mon 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 diffi¬ 
cult 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 trueness 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 
m 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 connects it with a race widely diffused throughout the north of Europe and As : a 
from the Scandinavian Alps to the plains of Tartary, where it characterizes the herds still in a state of liberty. The dun colour 
which distinguishes the race is often marked with a dark streak extending along the spine, and sometimes with a cross bar of the 
same colour on the shoulder. Its typical colour is ever reckoned indicative of a hardy temperament. It varies in size with the fer¬ 
tility of the countries in which it has been naturalized, being of the pony size in the mountains and higher latitudes, but becoming 
enlarged to the stature of the other races in the countries of abundant herbage. It is found from the Gulf of Bothnia to the moun¬ 
tains of Granada, and doubtless owes its extension southward to the conquests and migrations of the Barbarians. In Prussia and the 
north of Germany, it is largely used for the remounts of cavalry. It is believed to have been carried to the eastern counties of 
England from Normandy, which yet possesses many fine horses of this variety, introduced, it may be believed, by the earlier 
invaders. 
The Suffolk Punch breed of England, it has been said, has been crossed with other varieties. These are chiefly the larger 
horses of Yorkshire and Durham. By this mixture individuals have been improved in figure and action, but that uniformity of 
the breed, which enabled the breeder to reproduce with certainty the characters of the parents in the progeny, has been to a cer¬ 
tain degree taken away, with something, too, of the hardiness and peculiar temperament of the older family. Fashion and taste 
have had more to do with this change than considerations of utility. The dun colour is in less request than the darker brown or 
bay, although the former is characteristic of the hardiest breeds of horses in Europe. Of recent years a considerable demand has 
arisen for Suffolk Punches, for the purposes of the dray and waggon. Many fine teams of this variety are to be seen in London, 
where, amid the tumult of the crowded streets, the massy forms and bright manes and tails of the horses present a striking ap¬ 
pearance. The modern Suffolk Punch is certainly superior to the Black Horse in activity and endurance, and is at least equally 
well suited to the continued service of the dray; but the demand for large horses has the effect, as in the case of the Black Horse, of 
inducing attention to size rather than the useful properties. Sometimes the Suffolk Punch has been crossed with horses of high 
breeding. In this way good horses may occasionally be produced adapted to the chariot and coach; but unless a breed were formed 
as in Cleveland, by progressive intermixture, no permanent supply of superior horses could be calculated upon from this source. ’ 
Other varieties of the larger horses suited for labour exist in different parts of England, but, for the most part, they are either 
* Library of Useful Knowledge. 
