Suffolk Horses

Suffolk Horses - History

Picture source: American Suffolk Horse Association

The breed dates back to the 16th century, but the foundation stallion of Suffolk horses was foaled in 1768. The Suffolk horse has the longest unbroken written pedigree of any breed; it goes back to 1768 to a stallion known as Crisp's Horse of Ufford. Although Suffolk horses were relatively unknown, they have remained pure and true to their original purpose. The population of these horses was reduced by the mechanization during the 1950's. In the early 1970's the interest in draft breeds was rekindled and expanded so that many Suffolk horses were imported from the UK. Today there are about 1500 Suffolk horses in the USA and about 200 of them in England.

The government of Pakistan has used Suffolk horses for breeding army horses. This breed has been exported to Canada, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and other countries of the world. Suffolk horses are used to interbreed with other horse breeds. The offspring is very healthy and durable. There exist a Part-Bred register for such horses. Suffolk horses are widely used for forestry tasks and in the tourists industry.