Three generations of Suffolk Punches have been reunited at Easton Farm Park near Woodbridge.
Mother Easton Ruby and daughter Brackenhurst Hope arrived from Brackenhurst Stables at Nottingham University and have now been reunited with Hope's grandmother Easton Lily, bringing together three generations of Suffolk Punches.
Easton Ruby was born at Easton Farm Park on June 5, 2014 before moving to Nottingham University.
Whilst there, she went on to make Suffolk Punch history by taking part in a project to assist the continuation of the breed which involved using sex-sorted sperm to determine the gender of the horse's eventual offspring.
Performed by Nottingham University's equine academic and technical teams, this was the first time that the technique had been used to support the survival of rare breeds and was a ground-breaking achievement between the university and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as well as being supported by the Suffolk Horse Society.
The semen of one of the best-matched stallions was collected and sex-sorted, leading to Ruby being inseminated in 2019.
In July 2020, Brackenhurst Hope was born at Brackenhurst Stables, becoming the first foal born using this combined technology and increasing the number of genetically appropriate females to support future breeding for conservation purposes.
Suffolk Punches are a critically endangered breed with all lineages originating from just one horse, Crisp's of Ufford.
The breed was historically used for draught work on farms but also played a crucial role in World War One due to their ability to pull heavy artillery thanks to their muscular frames and stamina.
It tends to be shorter but more massively built than other British heavy draught breeds, such as the Clydesdale or the Shire, as a result of having been developed for agricultural work rather than road haulage.
Currently in the UK, there are less than 150 breeding females despite an estimated 30 to 40 purebred foals being born each year in the country.
Easton Ruby, Brackenhurst Hope and Easton Lily will be available to meet at Easton farm Park this Easter at the Spring Babies Carnival event.
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