Sale at horse charity is very sad, say breeders

Horse breeders have described the uncertainty surrounding the future of a charity dedicated to protecting a critically endangered breed as "very sad".

The Suffolk Punch Trust announced in February that it would close its visitor centre, cafe and shop due to high costs.

It is now feared the charity may soon cease to exist at all, after its 120-acre farm and visitor centre were put on the market for £2.4m and the Charity Commission said it was aware of "financial concerns".

Nigel Oakley, former president of the Suffolk Horse Society, said staff had "definitely tried their best to keep it afloat".

"The trust made every effort to breed and increase the population of the Suffolk horse and they tried very hard to make it a success," he said.

"It is very, very sad but unfortunately I think it was inevitable to be truthful."

Suffolk punch horses – including award-winning show horses - have been bred at the trust's Colony Stud at Hollesley near Woodbridge since 1759.

According to the trust's website, the site is home to its own 19 horses, raising questions about what will happen to them.

Oakley, who himself has bred 52 foals, said he had been told on good authority that the trust had already "sold quite a few of them".

"They have got some very good quality horses, there's no doubt about that, but I think it will be very difficult to place the stallions," he said.

"I've kept stallions and they're a one-man horse, really. They trust one owner and they're a bit difficult to handle for other people."

The struggles facing the trust were acknowledged by chairman Andrew Fane in its public accounts for the year ending 2024.

He wrote that the outlook was "uncertain" unless additional funding was not secured, after reporting a net loss of £90,561 in 2024 compared with a surplus of £24,439 in 2023.

The document showed total income had fallen from £609,958 to £497,207, with donations and legacies dropping from £302,003 to £172,939.

These losses, according to the report, were in spite of the fact visitor admissions had increased year-on-year, with entrance fee income rising from £74,296 to £87,902.

In February, the trust said it would be restructuring to "focus on the future development" of the stud, "albeit in a slightly slimmed-down form".

But the farm recently went on the market.

"I do know some of the people who have donated and they're as upset with it as I am," added Oakley.

Farmer Tom Walne, known for his dedication to the rare Suffolk punch horse breed, said he had been told surplus money would be donated to other charities.

The 92-year-old said he was "shocked" when he heard the site had been put up for sale.

"The Suffolk horse needs all the help it can get, so I was shocked and I think that is very sad," he said.

"There's lots of people, like me, who have spent a large amount of their life and all their money to produce Suffolk horses and to have the pleasure of them.

"I can't understand how that couldn't pay its way."

The stud has long been managed by Tracey Pettit, who Walne said was doing "her best" to find the remaining horses "good permanent homes".

"That trust was set up as a good, wonderful thing for the Suffolk horse so that they could breed, train and sell horses," he added.

"But once it's gone, it's gone."

The Charity Commission said it was "aware of financial concerns" relating to the Suffolk Punch Trust but it had not yet opened a compliance case or statutory inquiry.

"We are assessing information available to us to determine if there is a regulatory role for the commission," a spokesperson said.

The Suffolk Punch Trust and trustees were contacted for comment but did not respond.

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