All Aboard Farm

Origin: Suffolk, England
Height: 15 -17 plus hh
Colors: The Suffolk is always chesnut (traditionally spelled with no "t" after the "s").  A few white hairs well mixed with the chesnut on the body and a star, stripe or blaze is allowed.  There are seven recognized shades of chesnut: bright, red, golden, yellow, light, dark and dull dark or a variation from very light shade of straw to a dark liver.  The mane, tail and feathers are generally a lightened version of the body color.  Foals are often born light in color and darken as they grow older.

The head is large with a broad forehead and a straight or slightly convex profile with alert, active relatively short ears.  The neck is arched, deep and conforms exactly to the position of the shoulder.  Mane is braided with raffia only for show purposes.  A deep, round-bodied, and standing on powerful, short legs, the Suffolk is among the most attractive of the heavy horse breeds.  Good bone, sloping pasterns and clean legs characterize the breed.  The pulling power is assisted by the low shoulder, a feature skillfully developed by early breeders.  The quarters are obviously of great strength, but the hind legs must be placed sufficiently close to allow the horse to walk a 9" furrow, otherwise when going between rows of crops, "he'll kick out more than he'll hoe".  The hooves are of medium size, smaller than those of most heavy breeds, but hard and sound.  Much attention has been given to them over the years to improving the quality and conformation of the Suffolk hooves.  The long tail is braided for work and show. 

The Suffolk Punch has a reputation for being docile, kindly and is a tireless, willing worker.  Not to go unmentioned is the longevity of the Suffolk Punch; many will work into their twenties.  This along with their easy maintenance, long work days and willingness to work make the Suffolk Punch one of the most dedicated and economical horse to own.

Currently there is no breed standard for the Suffolk Punch in North America.