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