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the horses of hawthorn heavy horses
holly
george

Lygh Holly

  • Breed: Suffolk ‘Punch’ (Stud book no.28375)
  • Colour: Bright Chesnut
  • Sex: Mare
  • D.O.B: 13th May 1995
  • Height: 17.2hh (175cm to withers)
  • Sire: Colony Windsor
  • Dam: Colony Barley

Glanrhocca George

  • Breed: Suffolk ‘Punch’ (Stud book no.8862)
  • Colour: Bright Chesnut
  • Sex: Gelding
  • D.O.B: 10th May 1998
  • Height: 16.3hh (167cm to withers)
  • Sire: Lygh Golden Harvest
  • Dam: Easton Princess

We chose Suffolks because we needed horses that are suited to logging work, plus carriage driving, mowing, harrowing and bracken rolling, as well as having a good temperament and willingness to work. Suffolks represent all of this, and in addition they are native to East Anglia and therefore are ideal for the conditions found in Essex. This includes heavy clay soil, and as the Suffolk has clean legs, unlike Shires or Clydesdales that have feathers, they find working in these conditions easier. Holly is fourteen years old, and George is eleven, and Suffolks can work well into their early-twenties. Holly is larger than George, and has a strong work ethic and is always keen to get to work. George is more relaxed, but is always first to the field gate and very friendly and approachable.

The Suffolk is the oldest breed of heavy horse in Britain to exist in its present state. Every Suffolk Horse in existence today traces its descent in the direct male line, in an unbroken chain, to a horse foaled in 1768, Thomas Crisp's horse of Ufford. Early agricultural machinery, ideally suited to the level arable land in East Anglia, resulted in a dramatic decline in the number of Suffolks. In 1966 only 9 foals were born and extinction looked imminent. Fortunately, new breeders have helped to rescue the breed and since then its numbers have slowly risen, reaching a total of 473 pure bred Suffolks by 2nd April 2008. Although Suffolk numbers are increasing, they are still classified as Category 1 (Critical), by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. We are proud to support the survival of the Suffolk, and to promote their use in a modern situation whilst maintaining traditional skills.

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