Future of Suffolk punch horses 'very positive'

[Jax]

Future of Suffolk punch horses 'very positive'

 

 

The future of the critically endangered Suffolk punch horse is "very positive", the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has said.

Figures to be published in January show there are 170 registered adult breeding females, compared with 138 in 2012.

The breed is on the RBST's critical list.

Claire Barber, from the trust, said: "They're one of the few breeds showing small increases in their population, which is very, very positive."

The number of Suffolk punches started to decline in the 20th Century as mechanisation reduced the role they played for farmers.

The Suffolk Horse Society said the low point was in the 1960s.

It says there are now about 520 Suffolk punches worldwide, mainly based in East Anglia, although the biggest breeder is in Worcestershire.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-30534151

[chrisbell-nottheweatherman]

Lovely creatures.  I went to a heavy horse centre in North Norfolk around 10 years ago and was invited to hand-feed a Suffolk Punch - his/her lips (can't remember whether it was a male or female) were like two big leathery cushions sweeping over my hand.