Where are we now? April 2020 Update

Introduction

For those new to this website (and for those who would like a reminder) the following articles detail the concerns felt by many supporters of the irreplaceable Suffolk Horse: providing necessary background information for this sixth article in eleven years.

        1. The Suffolk Punch draught horse – Running out of time?
        2. The Clock is Ticking … … Part 1
        3. The Clock is ticking … … Part 2
        4. How far have we got?  Considering our options in securing the future of the Suffolk Horse in the United Kingdom.
        5. Where are we now?  March 2019 Update
        6. Where are we now?  April 2020 Update

 

Encouraging News

Some good news must include the response and use by owners and breeders to the SPARKS Data Sheets (see: https://suffolkpunchaustralia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RBST-Equine-Breeders-Seminar-2.pdf) and the hope that this will reduce the deleterious results of the previous continuous use of Elite Sires.

Foal numbers for 2019

Unofficial numbers of foals produced in the UK in 2019:  a total of 33, with 18 colts and 15 fillies (as of 18 April 2020.   The 2019 Stud Book has not yet been issued which will give the total number of registered foals.   The Suffolk Horse Society webpage currently states 34 foals produced for 2019, but gives no details (ie date of birth, Sire, Dam) for the 34th foal.  

While the unofficial 2019 foal figures are heartening, these are foals produced, not foals registered.

Mare Grants

A new grant in 2020 is described on the SHS Website as:

£100 for the mare owner for covering each mare with a UK registered, licensed Suffolk Stallion who has not previously sired a foal, whether or not the mare was successfully inseminated.

Only 1 grant per mare per season.

 https://www.suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk/horse-business/grants/mare-grants/

 Marketing Stallion Grants

A new grant in 2020 – Offspring Reported Births Grant – is described on the SHS website as:

For UK registered, licensed stallions that have not previously sired a foal, covering pure bred UK registered mares, the SHS will pay higher grants for the registration of initial off-spring:

      • £300 for 1st REGISTERED FOAL
      • £200 for 2nd REGISTERED FOAL
      • £100 for 3rd REGISTERED FOAL
      • For subsequent foals, the Stallion owner will receive the Reported Births Grant of £40 until 10 breeding offspring have been registered, where upon grants will reduce as follows:
        • Stallion Covering Grant – £30
        • Reported Births Grant – £20

It includes the following conditions:

      1. The owner of the dam must report the birth of foal to the SHS within seven (7) days of it occurring.
      2. The grant will be paid for each live or still born foal or aborted visible foetus.
      3. The grant will also be payable if the mare dies and is shown to be in-foal by a Veterinary Surgeons post mortem.
      4. These events should be reported to the SHS office within seven (7) days of them occurring

And some disappointments

Despite the best endeavours of many owners and breeders throughout 2018, the number of foals recorded on Foal Watch for 2019 have not increased to the numbers last seen between 2005-2013  For those nine years a total of 302 foals were registered.   (See Table 1 and Figure 1 below)

 The UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist 2020-2021 is based on estimated numbers of registered breeding females producing pure-bred offspring in the UK.

For the Suffolk Horse, a Rare and Critically Endangered Breed, this is fewer than 300 females, and for the first time in some years shows ‘more than a 5% increase in registered adult breeding females this year.”    The question needs to be asked:  what does this actually mean?

(See:  https://www.rbst.org.uk/watchlist-overview and https://www.rbst.org.uk/appeal/heavy-horse)

A Reminder

The latest Suffolk Horse census information gives the number of females at 271 and for 266 for the year 2017 (Suffolk Horse Society Stud Book, Volume 95, 2018)    These, however, are all females: filly foals, yearlings and fillies who are too young to breed. And the other end of the spectrum, mares too old to breed.

In the article https://suffolkpunchaustralia.com/index.php/clock-ticking-part-2/  Table 2.2 Comparison of numbers of breeding females across four draught breeds in the UK, the estimated pedigree registered breeding females in 2015  was 72.   The 2017 Suffolk Horse Society Stud Book, Volume 94, published in 2017, gives the total number of registered foals for 2016 as 28 (18 colts and 10 fillies).

Table 1 of this article below, shows numbers of registered progeny per year over two decades.   It does not however, show numbers of available mares who were bred, but for whatever reasons, did not have a live foal at time of registration.  From time to time it is possible to pick up some information in the occasional Suffolk Horse Stud Book, viz:

Vol. 85 for 2008, page 1 states: 

“ 87 mares were covered….. five by AI:  42 foals were registered.” (so only 36.54%)

Vol.89 for 2012, page i states

“During the year 67 mares were covered.   39 foals were registered……” (so only 26.13%)

and also from other sources such as reported in Where are we now?   March 2019

The article in the Heavy Horse World says: ‘….. A total of 66 mares were covered and of these 40 have been scanned and confirmed in foal.   Some of the mares which have not been scanned may also be in foal.’  (Suffolk society redoubles efforts to improve foal numbers, p18 HHW, Spring 2019)

Note that data 1999-2018 derived from Suffolk Horse Society Stud Books. 

The untapped resource of Suffolk Horses in Canada and the USA.

The American Suffolk Horse Association record registrations by the decade.   For the three decades 1990-2019 registered Suffolk Horses totals 2470.   If 21 pending registrations are added this gives total of 2491.  It is salutary to compare these results with the Suffolk Horse Society registered progeny.

Should be noted that not all colts are always registered if they are going  to become geldings.

The weary old calumny which needs to be buried once and for all – that the Suffolk Horse in Canada and the USA is not “Pure”.

One has to ask why the misconceptions still persist and why some who ardently believe this to be utterly factual,  do not avail themselves of all the available material.      We live in a modern age:  genetic testing is available and information is out there for those who genuinely seek.

What is surprising is that in the early days of exporting Suffolks to Canada and then to the USA, chicanery and unscrupulousness on the part of heavy horse exporters, caused import laws to be changed in the receiving countries.

The following section has been published on social media a couple of times, but unfortunately perhaps, not read thoroughly by those who still cling to the misinformed point of view

 A article published in 2000 by R.J. Moore-Colyer, titled ‘Aspects of the trade in British pedigree draught horses with the United States and Canada, c.1850-1920‘ describes circumstances which help to explain why those countries required a better bred Suffolk than even in its country of origin.

It is also worth noting that by 1900 the American and Canadian governments were concerned about the quality of heavy horse stock being imported from predominantly the UK.

“By 1890 both governments were insisting upon prior veterinary inspection of all imported horses, while the McKinley Tariff imposed heavy duties on breeding animals entering the United States unless they were accompanied by a certified statement testifying both to their Stud Book registration and their pedigree authenticity for five generations on the male and four for females. (K. Chivers, The Shire Horse 1976, pp 227-8.”

and

“Meanwhile, the Editing Committees of the various British stud books, alarmed at accumulating evidence for the falsification of pedigree certificates which they viewed as a crime ‘… of national importance, because it also affects the honour of the country, more especially when fraud is discovered abroad’, took positive steps to tighten up their registration procedures. “*

Even so, by 1903 the US Treasury came to require for duty-free entry not only an authenticated pedigree certificate, but an affidavit, sworn before the US Customs, that the animal to be imported was identical to that described on the certificate.”

The horse in question, furthermore, had to pass a strict veterinary examination at the port of entry and, if found to have the slightest symptom of one of a range of infectious diseases, was returned to its place of origin.

“Kindred measures were taken in Canada where the government instituted rigorous veterinary procedures, and required certification from Ottawa in addition to the normal documentation, before a mare or stallion could enter the country free of duty.

“The imposition of these various official hurdles concentrated the minds of British exporters and was to alter their attitude towards the North American market when demand began to recover in the years after 1900.”

The following paragraph is well worth noting:

“Assiduous attention would now be paid to conformation, constitution and other aspects of quality, besides which no breeder worth his salt would offer an animal for export if it was possessed of the slightest hint of a veterinary defect. It will become apparent below that the British export trade in both Clydesdale and Shire horses in the early years of the present century was probably hampered less by quality considerations than by the price of the product relative to that of foreign competitors in the market.”

And

*”Of the three major British breeds, the Suffolk Punch was a mere footnote in North American agricultural history.”

 

Suffolk Horses in Canada and The USA

Up until the beginning of WW2, North America received the largest number of exported Suffolk horse worldwide. The USA required a more pure bred Suffolk than did the UK Stud Book.   Vol.XX published 1915 states:

“In order to meet the views of the American Suffolk Horse Stud-Book it has been resolved that no Export Certificate shall be granted with any animal purchased for the United States having a pedigree which does not contain four straight crosses recorded in the Suffolk Stud-Book in the case of Mares and five recorded crosses in the case of Stallions. Thus a mare to be admitted duty free shall be registered and have also a registered Sire, Dam Sire, g. dam Sire and g.g. dam Sire. With Stallions it is necessary to show an additional generation with a registered Sire.” (My emphasis)

By contrast, Conditions of Entry to the UK Stud Book (1915) stated:

“No Stallion which is known to have a cross of any other breed in the direct male line with four generations and no mare within two generations shall be admitted…” (My emphasis)

Further from 1919 up until 31 December 1946 when the Clause was rescinded, a filly foal not having a registered dam …could be registered if :

a) the sire and dam’s sire were registered

b) approval to be by inspection

from: Running out of Time? First published in Heavy Horse World 2009, and reprinted on this website: suffolkpunchaustralia.com

“ASHA has registered grading-up horses” (but so has SHS)

Once again, this was discussed in the article Running out of Time?   Originally published in the Heavy Horse World in Summer 2009  (eleven years ago) and reprinted on this website.   Here once again is the relevant section:

“The phrase “53 grading-up horses” is somewhat misleading. In 1973 ASHA instituted a grading up programme which ran for seven years. Their Stud Book was closed to new percentage mares in 1983. There were only 16 Foundation Mare (Suffolk type) who, with their subsequent progeny, were crossed with registered Suffolk stallions. A break-down of the total produced American mares is shown in Table 1.”   

In order to increase clarity and readability, this table has been retyped and entered here.

Please note that the ASHA e-Stud Book, available to all the subscribed membership with a click of a button, clearly traces down the lineages, back to any grade mare.

Compare this with data relating to de facto grading up in the UK in this example (again first published in 2009) from the Suffolk Horse Society studbooks. 

Historical Grading-up in the UK Herd 

“Conditions of entry to the SHS Stud Book did enable grade horses to enter the SHS Stud Book relatively quickly: take any random section of SHS Stud Books and these animals are surprisingly easy to find. There are many 75% mares and 50% mares. One 50% mare produced 14 progeny: all of her 75% (or 3/4 foals) were registered and are in the SHS Stud Books.

“The early 1950’s SHS Stud Books are much smaller than the 1940’s and 1930’s, and thus quicker to extract the 7/8 and 15/16 grade horses. The 1950’s records are interesting since although the total UK herd numbers were in decline, they were still far higher than for the current UK herd.

“There is also a much higher proportion of graded up stallions than mares (half as many mares as stallions). The following table shows the grade entries to the three Volumes.   (Retyped to aid clarity)

“One of these 7/8 grade stallions went on to produce around 42 registered progeny.

“Even as late as 1982, three colt foals were entered into the Stud Book, two with records only to the 1st Dam, and one with records to the 2nd Dam: equivalent to ¾ and 7/8.   One of the ¾ colts went on to be a Registered Licensed stallion under the SHS Stallion Licensing Scheme. Under the revised rules for entry to the Stud Book today, none of these stallions, nor their progeny, would be eligible for entry.

“In essence the Suffolk breeders were continuously introducing genetic diversity into the UK herd in a small but constant trickle with the entry into the Stud Book. This particularly applied not only to fillies who were not pure Suffolk (but Suffolk like in appearance and had a Suffolk Sire) but, as can be seen, also to colts.

“This enabled one breeder at least to filter in his requirement of added height. In Edward Hart’s Book, The Suffolk Punch, An Illustrated History of the Breed, he discusses the Chickering Stud and Charlie Saunders:  

“Shires were his first interest but in 1932 he began breeding Suffolks. He told George Ewart Evans that he put a Suffolk over a Shire mare, and her offspring came clean legged, some chestnuts, some bays. He would sell eight or ten yearly to a coal firm in Colchester. By crossing the halfbred fillies back to a Suffolk, he got the three-quarter Suffolk females into the Stud Book. He fielded a big team of horses when such hitches were rare. In other words, he bred the Shire into the Suffolk, and then bred it out again.”  

 

 

The Constant Constraint – The Elite Sires

Unofficial figures for 2019 derived from ‘Foal Watch’ are for a total of 32 foals in the UK, comprising 18 colts and 14 fillies.  This table excludes one Australian foal (registered with the SHS) who would count towards the total of 33 foals, who is unlikely to contribute to the breed for some time.

(NB: when the official Suffolk Horse Society figures are released, this article and its tables and graphs will be amended accordingly)

The 2018 Stallion List showed 20 named stallions.   Nine stallions were either not used, or else did not produce any progeny in 2019.    Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the continuing problem of Elite Sires.

 

Preserving the Suffolk Horse Breed

“How can you help?

By becoming a member of the SHS.

Your subscription and donations will help fund what this charity does:

          • Pays Breeding Grants to Mare & Stallion Owners.
          • Pays Travel Grants to owners to help promote the horse, enabling more people to see these wonderful animals.
          • Organises Training days for Members and new owners to help pass on the skills required to manage and work these horses.
          • Maintains a bank of frozen semen for future use by breeders worldwide.
          • Funds veterinary and scientific work to assist in the breeding of Suffolk Horses. “

From the website of the Suffolk Horse Society https://www.suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk/

Although some provisos … …
  • Some owners of potential breeding mares still feel that breeding grants are slanted more to supporting stallion owners than mare owners.
  • Despite the apparently new “Mare- Embryo Transfer Grant”, not all requests are considered equally. 

“With improving success rates in other breeds, and a growth in demand, the Suffolk Horse Society have recognised the need to go some way to support the owners who wish to pursue alternative breeding techniques when breeding from their registered Suffolk Mare.   (Author’s emphasis)

“This grant will only be paid out if the Artificial Breeding Technique protocols as stated in the Suffolk Horse Stud book are strictly adhered to.   A grant of £300 will be paid in addition to the usual breeding grants available to mare owners.” (SHS emphasis)   p.27 Breeding Grants, The Suffolk Horse Magazine, Issue 103, Spring 2020

  • Members and new owners still pay £75.00 per day training session.
  • The bank of frozen semen for future use by breeders worldwide comprises semen from only two stallions collected to export quality semen.   Only one export quality semen is from a whole coloured stallion, which for Australia, is the preferred choice due to the risks associated with in this country with white facial markings.
  • As it stands, the extremely limited choice is duplicating the same problems current in the UK, that of Elite Sires, and minimising the future potential of possible utilising Suffolks worldwide.
No semen collection carried out in 2019, nor, it appears in 2020

…and thus no additions to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Gene Bank.   Refer to section on Frozen Semen in the article https://suffolkpunchaustralia.com/index.php/clock-ticking-part-2/how-far-have-we-got-considering-our-options-in-securing-the-future-of-the-suffolk-punch-in-the-united-kingdom/

It is not clear just how many Suffolk Horse semen donations are held in the Gene Bank.   It may be five for six, when a minimum of 25 is needed from 25 different stallions.     In 2017 there were three collections, to which were added an additional three in 2018.  None were collected for 2019.   If a 2020 collection of three were added to the ‘bank of frozen semen’, it would have needed another ten collections by 2027.

Compare the time lost by the non-collections during 2019 and 2020    

As it now appears that collections for 2020 have not been carried out.     Using the same collection rate of three per year, the required total of 25 semen collections from 25 different stallions is now midway through 2026.    This is cutting it very fine indeed, given that the Rare Breeds Survival Trust has predicted the possibility of extinction of the Suffolk breed in the UK by 2027.

Again, it is not clear why the Society does not appear to see this as an urgent priority.

After the successful relaunch of the RBST Gene Bank Heavy Horse Appeal late 2017, funds increased from 31st December 2017 at £15,692 to a balance at 31st December 2018 of £41,373.  The last available information on the fund is, as shown above in the poster, £45,361.63.   

Bear in mind this is to be shared equally between the three British Native Heavy Horses – the Clydesdales, the Shires and the Suffolk Horse:  £15,105.54 for each native breed when what is needed (as a minimum) is £125,000 for each of the breeds.

To achieve the aim of 25 separate stallion frozen semen collections, over the three breeds (75 collections), a year ago – April 2019 – the sum required stood at £329,683.37.    For each breed of British Native Heavy Horses, that is £109,894.45

No-one could have predicted the current Coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, but this clearly demonstrate is the need for long term strategic planning.   Except of course, we are now almost mid way through 2020.    Potential genetic extinction by 2027 forecast by The Rare Breeds Trust:  that is six and one half years. 

The questions need to be asked: 

    1. why such an inadequate stored collection in the Gene Bank?
    2. what needs to be changed to encourage stallion owners to donate?
    3. how much money has been put aside to ‘maintain future use by breeders worldwide’
    4. how much input from the breeders worldwide  – Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United States of America – has the Society actively sought? 

 

The untapped resources already in the United Kingdom – the “Anglo American” Suffolks – both stallions and mares

From all the above information, poor harvesting of an extremely limited number of stallions for frozen semen, use of Elite Sires and the ever increasing speed of the advent of the grim date of 2027, it needs to be remembered, perhaps even stressed, that potential genetic diversity is already available in the UK.    And has been for 17 years.   See:  Where are we now?  March 2019 Update which discussed available mares.   Just over a year ago, there were an estimated 25 mares.   

Given that in its history, the Suffolk Horse Society has admitted ‘graded’ stallions to the Stud Books – even as late as 1982 – perhaps it is time to look at this again.

Potential for Frozen Semen from Canada and/or the United States of America

As we in Australia know well, breeders across the Pond, demonstrate their commitment to the preservation of the Suffolk Punch breed.   And as a working heavy horse.  

Even if the Suffolk Horse Society is reluctant to engage with ASHA, there is no reason why individual owners and breeders in the UK could not approach ASHA (or owners and breeders individually) to discuss ways and means of purchasing suitable frozen semen, harvested to export quality.     

2027 is looming on the horizon.   Time really is running out. 

Discussion

Recently there has been vigorous discussions on social media.    Jools Turner posting on the Facebook page The Suffolk Saga, made some powerfully pertinent points and suggestions about the direction The Suffolk Horse Society is following, and how it needs to listen more to its members, particularly the owners & breeders.  With her permission (and our thanks) two posts are reproduced here.

“Good video and great effort but (there’s always a but!) you can ask the general public to throw money at the problem all you like but it’s what you do with those funds that defines how successful you’re going to be at achieving the aim of more Suffolks.

“And that isn’t upping the ante for the various shows and putting on massive displays or amazing archives etc. It’s making sure breeders are given adequate support.

“Every single mare owner in the UK should be approached individually by phone and respectfully asked how the SHS can help in encouraging that mare owner to breed her mare THIS year. Not next or the one after!

“I believe quite a few mare owners lack the confidence to make the decision. That lack of confidence is split up between not knowing where to send their mare, or who to use plus maybe having to have their mare in livery where breeding her isn’t an option.

“Not knowing how to actually manage the in-foal mare because they’ve never done it before. The expense of foaling the mare down if they’ve never foaled one before. Then the management of the mare and foal and, let’s be totally honest here, it’s a huge commitment and involves skill and effort.

“One of the main areas needing improvement is not keeping one mare with one foal with nothing else to run with. Foals develop physically and mentally so much better if they’ve another to play fight and mess around with. That’s a given and if you’ve only the one mare, that’s a big stumbling block, no ?

“So maybe there needs to be some grants for, for example, those mare owners I’m talking about above to send their mares away to an embryo transfer centre where the mare can be flushed, recipients used and mare then returned to the owner a couple of months later. Recipients safely in foal could in turn be sold to breeders and the funds raised split between both parties. Needs careful thought but it’s a possibility.

“We need fillies. That’s also a given. Why not make decent grants available to both the stallion owner and the mare owner to use sexed female semen as offered at Tremlows and Cogent? 

“Two stallions, as genetically different as can be managed, preferably that haven’t got significant numbers of females on the ground, get a bunch of mares sent up together to cycle in tandem to make collection / insemination as efficient as possible and see what happens. Breeders who get fillies who then sell them to return a percentage of sale monies received . Those who keep them to breed on – well that’s what the SHS should be funding, isn’t it? Isn’t that the aim?

“Yes, I do know what it costs to have a stallion there and sexed semen etc.  if you made a budget of £30k, say that would go a long way to more fillies, that’s for sure. I believe £20k was spent on the archives…. start a fundraiser so even if the boat has been missed this year (again) it’s in Place for 2021.

“I think we’ve established this year has highlighted the need for better plans to be in place and a much quicker decision making process. As a breeder and an SHS member I can honestly say I have no idea what the Breeding Committee has in mind because there’s no communication.

“Mr Oakley is absolutely right.  In a few years’ time there won’t be any Suffolks and the responsibility for that lies squarely with the Suffolk Horse Society.Those of us out here are doing our best with minimal help. If we didn’t have really good social media groups such as this one and the others, I think we’d be at extinction even quicker because at least we’ve been making a market for the Suffolk happen. And highlighting problems and making ourselves unpopular with outspoken criticisms but that’s what a democracy is for. Free speech and it’s fair to say there now a market for more produced than there was previously.

“…… I feel we need more open discussions, more action and more openness. So there my contribution!”

Jools then added an additional post:

 “I really, really would like as many mare owners to comment as possible, whether in agreement or not, so that we can get a meaningful discussion going.

“For example, if you have a mare, why haven’t, or why don’t you, want to breed her ? What would maybe make you think again about that?  Can any of us help ? I’m more than happy to act as a sounding board for anyone in the South West who would like to breed their mare but feels overwhelmed by the idea.

“I’ve already said previously I would foal down mares – that does have a cost because they need feeding, bedding up, watching etc. but if the Suffolk Horse Society got their act together, they could put together grants for that specific purpose for those mare owners who don’t have their mares at home but have to have them at livery.

“Or discuss embryo transfer etc., If I sound ranty, I’m sorry (sitting up for two gingers to foal down will do that!) but I am really fed up with seeing the #saveoursuffolks hashtag all over the shop but nothing constructive about getting mares bred and specifically, using sexed semen technology to achieve a wider breeding population.

“Let alone ignoring that big fat ginger elephant in the room: the desperate need to use US genetics without penalty re The Stud Book.

“And if one more person says ‘go on the Council then’ to effect change – I’ll just leave the fact here that Adrian Hoskins tried that last year and got precisely nowhere because… well it’s not rocket science to work out why. I am pretty sure we are happy to be co-opted on to Council and use tech such as Zoom for meetings though – now there’s a thought….”

 

© Eleanor Yvonne Hatch, Australian Suffolk Punch Registry & Grading Up Registry  2020 AND                          © Jools Turner, The Suffolk Saga, 2020