The Suffolk horse: a rare breed with pulling power

Once the engine of British agriculture, the endangered Suffolk Horse has found new purpose by exchanging farming for forestry, the show ring and even the field, writes Charlotte Reather

Like many native breeds of the British Isles, the Suffolk Horse is not only critically endangered but also right at the top of the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s (RBST) 2024-25 Equine Watchlist. Farmer and rare-breeds champion Adam Henson, whose father Joe Henson set up the RBST in 1973, lays bare the figures: “There are only 75 breeding mares left in Britain and just 300 females left in the world. It’s a sad situation, especially as most people championing rare breeds are now in their seventies and eighties.”

Henson continues his father’s rare-breed legacy at the Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire. In response to the plight of the Suffolk Horse – or Suffolk Punch as it is often known – in June last summer the farm park hosted a Suffolk Punch Extravaganza in collaboration with the Suffolk Horse Society (SHS), the breed society founded in 1877 to promote the horses and maintain the pedigrees of the UK population.

The Suffolk Horse – the oldest breed

The Suffolk Horse is thought to be the oldest breed in Britain, explains Nigel Oakley, long-standing member of the SHS, breeder and commentator: “Modern Suffolks can trace their lineage back to a single stallion: ‘Crisp’s horse’, a stallion foaled in 1768 in Woodbridge, Suffolk in the early 16th century.”

Shorter and squatter than Shire horses, with strong legs and massive shoulders, Suffolks can work long hours and are ideal for agriculture and transportation. In his History and Antiquities of Hawsted, in the County of Suffolk of 1784, Sir John Cullum describes the Suffolk Punch as ‘generally about 15 hands high, of a remarkably short and compact make; their legs bony; and their shoulders loaded with flesh. Their colour is often of a light sorrel.’

In fact, several hundred years ago the breed was known as the Suffolk Sorrel, their colour later becoming known as ‘chesnut’ (the correct spelling for the breed) perhaps influenced by the East Anglian dialect. The Suffolk Punch sobriquet was earned by the formidable strength and fortitude the horses displayed in harness, undertaking farm work – particularly ploughing. (Read: the garron – the workhorse of the Highlands.)

Industrial Revolution role

Heavy-horse collar and harness maker Terry Davis explains: “Without equids the Industrial Revolution would never have happened. In the late 19th century there were around 3.3 million working horses, and they had the power and stamina to transport the vast quantities of coal and iron ore needed for smelting and mass production. This in turn required the transportation of manufactured goods, for which the horse as a carting animal was perfectly suited.” Ironically, however, their role in establishing this new industrial age proved the means of their downfall.

One woman who knows about working Suffolks on the land is septuagenarian Cherry Grover, an expert horsewoman, trainer, examiner and qualified farrier. “It goes back 50 years when Roger [her late husband] and I got married,” she says in a voice conjuring rural life of a bygone era. “We were in our early twenties. We moved to Waylands Farm near Ipswich and bought some Suffolk Horses. They were youngsters that we broke in and worked on the farm where we grew oats, barley and potatoes and made our own hay to feed the horses.

“To make a living I worked as a farrier for 12 years with Roger,” she recalls. “Then I broke horses, and we were able to use the young horses on the farm. You break a heavy horse in the same way as you would a riding horse. He has to learn how to go forward, and you get a soft mouth on him so he guides. The biggest thing with a heavy horse is the noise, so you pull a tin can behind him. It all takes about six weeks.”

At first the youngsters would do light work such as harrowing. “A horse doesn’t want to go on a plough until he’s about four years old,” Grover says. “We didn’t have a tractor, so when we wanted to do a job the horses had to do it. At one time we had 16 Suffolks working on the farm; you’ll never see that again today.”

In the present day many British heavy horses are kept by enthusiasts who show them around the country, take part in ploughing matches or use them for modern transportation or logging. One intrepid hunter and Suffolk breeder Bruce Langley- McKim even takes his 16-year-old stallion, Craikhow Hall Jensen, out with the Cottesmore in Leicestershire.

Suffolks on show

Suffolks take centre stage at this two-day Suffolk Punch Extravaganza with horses plaited up in the traditional way or pulling colourful wagons. Mike Yorke has travelled from Somerset to show his pair of Punches pulling the Hall & Woodhouse brewery dray. John and Ness Morris from Horse Drawn Occasions near Newbury use their six as a business, offering horsedrawn transportation to weddings, proms and funerals. Ness Morris explains their contribution to the horse-drawn element of the country event: “We’re partly sponsored by Whites Removals and have been pulling their late-19th-century pantechnicon, which weighs three tonnes empty, at shows since 2006. Originally Whites had 30 pantechnicons and 100 Shires at stables in Portsmouth. They would pack up your house and take it to the train station, then the top boards off the wagon would be removed so the arch roof would go through the railway tunnels and another team of horses would greet the cargo at the other end.”

Showing is also popular in bringing attention to the breed, and Adam Henson introduces me to Champion Young Handler Niamh White, 16, from Suffolk. “We came straight from the Norfolk show to be here and we’re doing a show in Guernsey in a couple of weeks. Suffolks have been part of my life since I competed in Young Braiders at the age of nine before moving into showing,” she says.

I caught up with another hopeful on the heavy-horse showing circuit Katy Barr, head groom to HRH The Princess Royal, who competes in the ridden category on Suffolk gelding Tinglestone Cyclone James, otherwise known as Jim. “Last year the Horse of the Year Show awarded the Suffolks their breed-only qualifier back within the British Ridden Heavy Horse of the Year class,” she says. “Having narrowly missed out last season, I need to win there or in the open classes through the season to stand a chance of making it to Horse of the Year.” The diminutive equestrian shows me a photo of Jim on her phone. His mane is braided with raffia in the traditional Suffolk fashion, and flights of ribbons in the Princess Royal’s racing colours (purple and red) are added on top to emphasise the crest of his neck.

Into the woods

Today Barr is in logging mode and has brought six-year-old mare Winnifred to do a timber demonstration and give the public a flavour of the work she does on the Gatcombe estate and farther afield. “There is growing interest in using heavyhorse breeds for eco-sensitive logging as a sustainable option within modern forestry, showcasing the benefits to woodlands and the environment,” she says. “There are numerous teams of heavy horses – a mixture of breeds both British and European, alongside cobs and native ponies – working across the UK, with a couple of Suffolks dotted here and there.” Barr, however, believes she is the only person in Britain logging with an all-Suffolk team.

Earlier this year I visited Gatcombe to watch Barr and Winnifred in action, clearing the estate of ash-dieback timber. We meet at the yard where she tacks up her mare with an American collar and Swedish harness. “I’d never touched a Suffolk until I came to work for the Princess Royal,” she says. “I’d grown up surrounded by horses and went on to work across the board in the equine field. I’d always wanted to work with the heavies but never had the chance.

“It’s the best native breed to do the kind of work we’re doing because they were bred to plough and walk in a straight line on a flat surface all day long,” she continues. “They’re able to bear down easily on big loads because they are so strong in the shoulders, with a massive chest and heart and lung capacity to match.”

As she throws over Winnifred’s logging harness in one deft move, she says: “We’re going to use the logging arch because it’s wet today and some of the pieces of timber are quite big. It helps winch the front of the timber off the ground, which creates less drag, doesn’t chip the timber up and reduces the weight for the horse. The Swedish logging arch is wheeled and skids, so it will keep moving and bounce over things. It’s also quick-release so if something were to happen, I can have Winnifred out of the equipment almost immediately.”

Once in position she attaches the arch with traces and chains. The plucky forester gives the command to walk on and Winnifred, leaning into her collar, moves off a steady pace as we head down a woodland track and into a hidden valley of grassland in front of Gatcombe House.

Trust and training

Barr controls Winnifred primarily with her voice. “The commands change in terms of how tight or quickly I need things to happen,” she explains, demonstrating by asking Winnifred to step over a length of timber so she can attach the trunk she has chosen to clear. At first Winnifred is unsure, clearly wondering what might be lurking in the brambles; however, after some gentle coaxing she obliges, and Barr attaches a 150-pound length of timber. She asks Winnifred to step back over the obstacle, pause and turn left, returning towards the hill.

“That’s three years of trust and training. This is why I love what I do,” says Barr. “For me the biggest reward is watching an animal do what it was bred to do and, more importantly, wants to do. She’s listening to me all the time and loves her work. If she didn’t want to do it, there is nothing on this earth I could do to make her do it.” Barr started off training the mare in an arena. “I then took her into different environments. Her life is out here in the woods, so we did an inordinate amount of long lining in and around woodland, refining the voice commands and building her trust,” she explains.

As we return home, Barr hands me the reins. Winnifred’s power is formidable and the concentration required to keep her straight and not get taken out by the tree trunk dragging behind her is immense. My heart is beating as I try to emulate the vocal commands, confidence and feel on the reins. Given Winnifred works in an open bridle – Barr’s preference to suit Winnifred, who does not take a bit with ease – my commands must be spot on.

There are now fewer than 500 Suffolks left in the UK. Barr is clear: “We mustn’t let them disappear because we will lose a huge part of our heritage. Suffolks fed us, they got us through wars, they’ve done the jobs that keep us going, so we mustn’t let them slip away. We owe it to them. They have a place, and they have a purpose.” Visit British Horse Loggers for more information.