Leonard, a new foal born at the Suffolk Punch Trust, is just shy of a month old and is happy, healthy, and full of beans according to head groom Lily Hammond. The Suffolk Punch breed is one of the rarest heavy horse breeds and can all be traced back to ‘Crisp’s Stallion’ of Ufford, foaled in 1768.
Leonard is the first foal born at the Trust this year, with four more on the way, making 2025 a good year for the breed. The Suffolk Punch is critically endangered, so welcoming more foals is crucial. Leonard’s mother, Colony Gigi II, initially struggled with motherhood, but eventually learned to be a protective and caring mother to Leonard.
Despite a shaky start, Gigi and Leonard have formed a close bond, with Gigi now being very protective of her foal. The Trust invested in specialist equipment in 2021 to aid in breeding, but Leonard was born without artificial insemination. Leonard’s name was settled on by going through the alphabet, and he just looked like a “Lenny” according to Ms Hammond.
