Dexter cattle

A small cow, tough and hardy with short pointy horns. This breed is short-coated and is most likely to have black colouring.

Descended from the cattle that originally lived on mountain crofts in Ireland, Dexter cattle excel at eating bramble and other rough vegetation. Their small size means they are less likely to cut up soft ground with their hooves in wet conditions.

This breed comes in two leg lengths. The shortest version results from a type of dwarfism that was favoured at a time when they would often be brought into people's homes during the winter. This made it easier to find and feed them, rather than wandering all over the mountainsides looking for them in the snow and rain. The body heat this breed produced also warmed the house. With the cows downstairs and the family upstairs, there was less need to use valuable firewood for heating.