Suffolk Punch

On Sunday we visited the Suffolk Punch Trust Stud at Hollesley Bay near Woodbridge in Suffolk.  The Suffolk Punch is the smallest of our native 'heavy horses', the Clydesdale  and the Shire being the two large heavier native horses.   The lovely chestnut Punch has the dubious distinction of  'rare breed' status and the stud at Hollesley Bay Colony aims to rectify matters, keeping two breeding stallions and about twenty mares and foals to grow the breeds numbers.

This handsome chap is one of the stallions 

This group are between 2 years and 4 years old

Also at the stud are native Large Black's (pigs), a rare breed and native to Suffolk that is.  There were three sows and their litters.

This filly is being broken (trained) to draw (pull) for the first time.  There were three people involved in this training as this girl is very powerful and keeping her relaxed and calm while she learns that the object she is drawing isn't going to catch-up with her and do her harm is critical. 

They usually have the horses in blinkers so they can't see behind them but in this instance they were not being used.    There were a couple of moments when she was spooked and took off across the paddock but the patience of the grooms soon calmed her and the lesson went gently on.