| Exmoor has three native breeds of livestock; Devon Closewool sheep, Exmoor Horn sheep and Devon cattle.
Sheep have grazed the moors for thousands of years. There have been several local breeds in the past and often they would be simply divided into 'horns' or 'notts' — sheep without horns. The Exmoor Horn is the oldest surviving local variety.
Exmoor Horn Sheep
Traditionally such sheep were pastured on moorland in the summer. Ewes and lambs were brought down in the autumn but wethers were left until winter set in or left out all year for three or four winters until they were fat. Their meat was actually lean, close-grained, full of flavour and nationally prized, ending up in some of the top restaurants in London. Now lambs are either sold as stores or kept for breeding. Some of the hardier, introduced breeds and crossbreeds can be fattened on high ground but most native lambs are sold in autumn to lowland farmers for fattening. Exmoor Horns do not fatten well in lowland areas and are usually put to rams
of heavier breeds such as Leicesters or Suffolks to produce heavier 'mule' lambs. Exmoor mules are considered amongst the most productive sheep around.
Hence, it is rare for anyone to eat pure-bred Exmoor Horn lamb, which is a pity, as it has many good characteristics. The breed is low maintenance, which means that it needs little feed other than the grassland and moorland vegetation of Exmoor, which
affects the flavour of meat. To the consumer Exmoor Horn meat is a tasty and natural product. To the farmer, butcher and restaurateur practically the only disadvantage is in terms of economics: the carcass tends to be lighter and has a little more fat, so the resulting trimmed meat tends to be more expensive.
The Exmoor Horn is a white faced, horned breed of sheep. It was developed in Exmoor, Devon, in the 19th century, but is a descendant of sheep that had roamed on the moors for several hundred years.
Research by the Exmoor National Park has found that numbers have gradually declined: it estimates that in 1947 over 27% of sheep in the Somerset part of Exmoor were pure bred Exmoor Horns. As the number of sheep in the region has increased, so the percentage has dropped, and today breeding Exmoor Horn ewes represent only about 10% of the total on Exmoor. The National Park reports that there are about 19,000 registered breeding ewes today, of which around 15,000 are on Exmoor. Small numbers are also found on neighbouring Dartmoor.
Exmoor Horn Sheep typical habitat on Exmoor
Exmoors are a hardy breed, so well suited to the high moors. They are ‘dual purpose’ - bred not just for their wool, but also for the fact that they are prolific sheep and good mothers, producing quality lamb.
www.exmoorhornbreeders.co.uk |
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