The Suffolk Punch 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. It is a
heavy draught horse which is always chestnut in colour, although the
colour is traditionally spelled "chesnut" 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.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_Punch>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1461:
Wars of the Roses in England: Lancastrian King Henry VI was deposed by
his Yorkist cousin, who then became King Edward IV.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_IV_of_England>
1681:
King Charles II of England granted Quaker William Penn a charter for
the Pennsylvania Colony.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Pennsylvania>
1769:
French astronomer Charles Messier first noted the Orion Nebula , a
bright nebula visible to the naked eye in the night sky situated south
of Orion's Belt, later cataloguing it as Messier 42 in his list of
Messier objects.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula>
1982:
Bertha Wilson became the first female Puisne Justice of the Supreme
Court of Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Wilson>
2009:
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President
of Sudan Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against
humanity regarding his actions during the War in Darfur.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
infallible (adj):
Without fault or weakness; incapable of error or fallacy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infallible>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When I listen to love, I am listening to my true nature. When I express
love, I am expressing my true nature. All of us love. All of us do it
more and more perfectly. The past has brought us both ashes and
diamonds. In the present we find the flowers of what we've planted and
the seeds of what we are becoming. I plant the seeds of love in my
heart. I plant the seeds of love in the hearts of others.
--Julia Cameron
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Cameron>