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The Suffolk Punch, also historically known as the Suffolk Horse or Suffolk Sorrel,〔Dohner, ''Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds'' pp. 349–352〕 is an English breed of draught horse. The breed takes the first part of its name from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, and the name "Punch" from its solid appearance and strength.〔Hendricks, ''International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds'', pp. 405–406〕 It is a heavy draught horse which is always chestnut in colour, traditionally spelled "" by the breed registries. Suffolk Punches are known as good doers, and tend to have energetic gaits. The breed was developed in the early 16th century, and remains similar in phenotype to its founding stock. The Suffolk Punch was developed for farm work, and gained popularity during the early 20th century. However, as agriculture became increasingly mechanised, the breed fell out of favour, particularly from the middle part of the century, and almost disappeared completely. Although the breed's status is listed as critical by the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, there has been a resurgence in interest, and population numbers are increasing. As well as being used for farm work, the breed pulled artillery and non-motorised commercial vans and buses. It was also exported to other countries to upgrade local equine stock. Today, they are used for draught work, forestry and advertising. ==Characteristics== Suffolk Punches generally stand ,〔Dohner, ''Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds'' p. 350〕 weigh ,〔Bongianni, ''Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies'', Entry 95〕 and are always chestnut in colour. The traditional spelling, still used by the Suffolk Horse Society, is "" (with no "t" in the middle of the word).〔 Horses of the breed come in many different shades of chestnut, ranging from dark to red to light.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Frequently Asked Suffolk Questions )〕 Suffolk horse breeders in the UK use several different colour terms specific to the breed, including dark liver, dull dark, red and bright.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stallion List )〕 White markings are rare and generally limited to small areas on the face and lower legs.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url = http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/suffolk/index.htm )〕 Equestrian author Marguerite Henry described the breed by saying, "His color is bright chestnut – like a tongue of fire against black field furrows, against green corn blades, against yellow wheat, against blue horizons. Never is he any other color."〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url = http://www.imh.org/Suffolk-Punch.html )〕 The Suffolk Punch tends to be shorter but more massively built than other British heavy draught breeds, such as the Clydesdale or the Shire, as a result of having been developed for agricultural work rather than road haulage.〔Sponenberg, "The Proliferation of Horse Breeds", ''Horses Through Time'', p. 157〕 The breed has a powerful, arching neck; well-muscled, sloping shoulders; a short, wide back; and a muscular, broad croup. Legs are short and strong, with broad joints; sound, well-formed hooves; and little or no feathering on the fetlocks.〔 The movement of the Suffolk Punch is said to be energetic, especially at the trot. The breed tends to mature early, be long-lived, and is economical to keep, needing less feed than other horses of similar type and size.〔Edwards, ''Horses'', p. 232〕 They are hard workers, said to be willing to "pull a heavily laden wagon till () dropped."〔Thirsk, ''Chapters from the Agrarian History of England and Wales'', p. 46〕 In the past, the Suffolk was often criticised for its poor feet, having hooves that were too small for its body mass. This was corrected by the introduction of classes at major shows in which hoof conformation and structure were judged. This practice, unique among horse breeds, resulted in such an improvement that the Suffolk Punch is now considered to have excellent foot conformation.〔〔Ryder-Davies, "The Suffolk", ''The Working Horse Manual'', p. 19〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Suffolk Punch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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