Exmoor Horned Sheep

by Stuart Harrison of Devon, UK
photos shared by the folks at https://exmoorhornbreeders.co.uk

We live in a beautiful and sparsely populated area of England. North Devon as a whole, and Exmoor in particular, is the least populated administrative area in the whole of England. It’s a wild, hilly and open area which has not changed much throughout history, being renowned for it’s beauty, it’s banditry, and it’s breed of sheep.

While the banditry might have waned a little, it’s still a wonderful place to call home, and the Exmoor breed of sheep is still going strong. The Exmoor Horn Sheep, to give them their full title have been on Exmoor since before the middle ages, as far back as the iron age, valued for their hardiness, ability to thrive on the harsh landscape, and for the quality of their fleece and meat. The breed has shaped the landscape for so many many centuries that it is hard to imagine what the land would have looked like before the sheep arrived.

Exmoors are classified as a hill sheep breed and considered as a dual-purpose upland sheep. They make good profit at market from lamb, as well as being effective as conservation grazers of open moorland. The grazing provided by Exmoor gives a distinctive upland flavour and texture to their meat. Exmoor Horns were once famous for their mutton, considered the finest mutton in the land in Victorian England, when mutton was a very popular dish. With modernity tastes have changed, and the strong robust country flavour of mutton has been in steady decline, however, the Mutton Renaissance Club of Great Britain has seen a resurgence of interest in this traditional specialty product, which we hope will prove positive for the breed.

The vast majority of Exmoor sheep still inhabit the wilds of Exmoor National Park across North Devon and West Somerset and they are a familiar site to anyone living here. I think they are a handsome breed, proper sheep looking! Exmoors are nearly always good mothers and milkers, are a fairly docile sheep, easy to handle and maintain including at lambing. Unusually for a hill breed, they produce a high-quality fleece, of excellent colour, good staple length and excellent quality. Exmoor Horn wool is robust and hard wearing, ideally suited for socks, pullovers, jackets and other outer garments, as well as being excellent for carpet and mattress manufacturing. Exmoor Horn rams also make excellent sires and are in high demand for cross breeding, passing on toughness, docility and fine meat in their genes. They are considered a good breed for those new to sheep keeping, and will “look after themselves” as long as all their essential needs are met.

There is a healthy competition between farmers and breeders on Exmoor, with the Exford Show being particularly noteworthy for the quality of it’s sheep show and the intensity of the breeders competition. I always feel a sense of pride if I see Exmoor Horns outside of the area, and have been known to bore for longer than is reasonable anyone willing to listen to me ramble on about their fine qualities.

Well, true to form I’ve banged on about them quite long enough. Hopefully someone out there might be looking for a manageable, tough, tasty and handsome breed to make their way in the world with, and in the right area and climate, I doubt you will find a better candidate for building a fine flock than Exmoor’s finest.