Menoffagainorrhoea; Suffolk Sojourn Day One

The Friday dawned very bright and very warm. SUMMER!!! Aitch and I had tossed a couple of ideas around for things to do with the day, and it was settled that the Suffolk Punch Trust out near the coast was the thing to do. Her friend Cx was set to join us, and we made a joyful trio on an adventure.

We parked in the paddock in front of the relatively new 'meet and greet' entry hall, wherein was the reception, a cafeteria, shop with some beautiful artisan gifts and a little museum area. Having paid our dues, we wandered first to the stables, to get up close and personal with whoever was in.

This is Gypsum - she is a Red Poll, another Suffolk native breed which is under threat.

Colony Eli was born only eighteen months ago. It was hot in that stable, and he was quite snoozy.
He and I did a bit of 'whuff-whuff' with our noses though. Sweet boy!

No, not a Shetland... this is a miniature horse. Okay, now I can hear you asking, "What's the difference?!"
Both these have small bodies, but Shetland ponies could be slightly taller than Miniature horses.
It is a compact and muscular body in Shetland ponies, but not in Miniature horses.
The neck is shorter in Shetland ponies compared to Miniature horses.
Shetland ponies have rough, long, and prominent manes and tails.
However, Miniature horses have smooth manes and tails.
The coat of the Shetland pony is rough and thick, but the coat of the miniature pony is smooth.
Their uses are different, as Miniatures are more like indoor pets,
but Shetland ponies are outdoor workers.

This is Colony Aspall, who had just completed an earlier demonstration and was enjoying his oats!

...and this GORGEOUS boy is Besthorpe Achilles.
What mare wouldn't fall head over tail for his attention?!

There is also the oldest registered colony of the Suffolk Sheep, pure line.

That lovely boy on the right (the four-legged one ... tsk...) is Colony Xing ("Star"). He - and the humans - demonstrated the livery which needs to be worn by working horses. During the dressing of the leather and chains, the other lovely boy (whose name we didn't get, sadly) gave an excellent running commentary on the history of the horse, how they are trained almost from birth, with the rope halter first, and what types of work was expected of them.

The SP was critically endangered, and the Trust is working hard to reinvigorate the bloodlines.

Nowadays, drawing activities are pretty much for show purposes, but some of the SPs are being trained for the saddle. Adapt and survive!

Do read the Trust's website; lots of lovely photos if nothing else!

This was a long post. There is lots more to come, but some days will have to be split into two.