The Suffolk Horse Society were supposed to be appearing in the Main Ring of the Burghley Horse Trials weekend to parade this wonderful breed. Instead we brought the horses to Burghley with this video insight into the Suffolk Punch breed.
I have no clue about the breeding standards of Suffolk Punch horses, just about my own horses (Paint and Noriker, the later also beeing a smaller Austrian coldblood breed). In general, when you talk about good 'confirmation' in a horse, the hind end should ideally be the same hight as the withers - at least that is what I thought and what I was taught. If the hind end is (much) higher, a horse has most of its weight on the forehand. The stallion at the beginning of this video stood at least a handwith higher in the hind end than at the withers, I guess. Is this something unique to that particular stallion? Or do all Suffolks share this trade? And if yes, why? This is not critisism, just honest curiosity. I always like to learn the how's and why's behind things I see. Excuse my English, it is not my native language.
Could be a matter of maturity. He looks even to me, and a horse's back shouldn't be flat even with the shoulders, because of the muscle in the hindquarters; that will stand up above the spine. In a draught horse the quarters will be more muscled.
They are willing workers and kind. They are a rare breed in their native country of England, actually in danger of becoming extinct. That would be a shame.
