Scottish Highland cattle

The Scottish Highland is one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world. Going as far back in time as the sixth century, some historians believe the ancestors of today’s Scottish Highland may have come to Scottish shores from Scandinavia with the Vikings.

Many of today’s Highland breeders subscribe to the theory that the Scottish Highland resulted from the crossing of two ancient Asiatic breeds of cattle called the Bos Longifronsm and the Bos Primigenius. From the Bos Longifronsm the Highland got its long horns, and from the Bos Primigenius, its profuse coat.
However the breed originated, the Scottish Highland obtained many of its characteristics in the Highlands and west coastal islands of Scotland. Exposed to North Atlantic gales and a very severe winter climate, the Scottish Highland evolved to be a tough, self-sufficient breed.

Scottish breeders of the subsequent centuries recognized these invaluable traits in their cattle, and worked to preserve them. Crofters, small farmers who lived in the Scottish high country, relied on the Scottish Highland for survival. The breed’s milk, meat and hair were a source of sustenance for these farmers, and the calves were a valued trade commodity within Scotland and in England.

Although most of today’s Scottish Highland cattle are red or yellow in color, most of the old-time Highland cattle were black. Called Kyloes, these cattle were found mostly on the islands and were on the smaller side. West Highlands, on the other hand, were larger and lived on the mainland. Their reddish coats predominate in modern examples of the breed.

In 1884, the Scottish Highland Cattle Society was formed in the United Kingdom to help preserve the purity of the Scottish Highland breed. Since that time, breed associations have been formed for the Scottish Highland in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.