Historical Highlander

Highland Cattle hold the title of being the oldest registered breed, having the oldest herdbook in existence. During the 20th and into the 21st Century we have seen a proliferation of cattle breeds as commercial breeders and producers have sought to improve the productivity of cattle through hybrid breeding and chasing commercial characteristics to get beef to market quicker and with fewer inputs.

It is a fact that old-world, traditional heritage breeds are slower maturing than their modern cousins. Heritage breeds tend to be indicative of their regionality.

Highlands hold true to this. They are the product of many years of breeding for characteristics of docility, hardiness, and taste.

Highlands have been bred to cope with the harsh conditions of life in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The ability to forage in all types of weather, survive and raise calves in the wind, rain, and snow, whilst being calm, docile, and manageable.

There were initially two differing types of highland cattle. The Western Isle type known as the ‘Kyloe’ was a small hardy breed of cattle generally black in colour. The other being the ‘North Highland’ which was from the Sutherland area of the Scottish Highlands. These cattle were mainly red in colour and were slightly larger if less well-shaped than the Kyloe.

There was a third type which although not a highland animal showed similar characteristics as the two ‘Highland’ breeds, these cattle were larger than either the Kyloe or North type and originated in Perthshire, Scotland. It is a mix of the three types along with selective farm breeding which has lead to the multicoloured type highland animals which we see today.

These breed types are taken from the Agricultural Dictionary published in 1845 and give a detailed description of the types of cattle and their origins from that time period (Wilson, 1845).