British Saddleback
The Wessex originated in the New Forest as a cross between two indigenous old English bacon pigs. It was black all over, asides from a continuous belt of white hair over the forelegs and shoulder.
British Saddlebacks are noted for their mothering and grazing ability. Very hardy, they have secured a niche in outdoor and organic production.
Taken from the British Pig Association website
British Saddleback
Gloucester Old Spot
Gloucester Old Spot
Cross Iron Age, Saddleback,
Cross Iron Age, Saddleback,
Cross Iron Age, Saddleback,
In the Berkeley Vale where the Gloucestershire Old Spots was traditionally raised it was known as the Orchard Pig and was reared on windfall apples and whey, by-products of local agricultural enterprises. Local folklore claimed that the black spots on the pig were caused by falling apples.
It was a very local breed before the Breed Society was formed in 1914, and remained a seriously endangered breed until the last few years of the twentieth century when its numbers increased as a result of the development of a speciality market by the RBST for its pork and bacon.
It is a large pig with lop ears; white in colour with a varying number of black spots anywhere on the body. It is a hardy animal and will happily live outside with the availability of a shelter. It will graze and enjoys rooting, and the sows have good maternal qualities.
Taken from the RBST website
Cross Iron Age, Saddleback,
Our beautiful sow Gisele with her piglets - 1 week old Tamworth cross Wild Boar... Stripy piglets are called Iron Age as they're a hybrid of the two breeds. Its the closest you'll come to a pig which lived in the Iron Ages...
Our Iron Age pigs are the only animals at the that we Farm that are not a true breed. They are a reconstruction of the type of pigs that would have been herded through the forests by our Iron Age ancestors. They were created here in the uk early 1970’s by crossing Tamworth sows with a wild boar from London Zoo, for the Butser Hill Iron Age Village project in Hampshire. The piglets are born striped from nose to tail, just like wild piglets, but lose their stripes as they get older.
Gisele's piglet in our horse stable at home...
The Cardona boys, Andre and Santi on the farm - note the home made arcs in the background!
