A lot of people ask if the stripey cows on some of our logos, cds, and t-shirts are real. They're 100% real - they're called Belted Galloways and they're fantastic.
The Belted Galloway (or beltie) is considered by some to be the most beautiful of all the cattle breeds, both in appearance and in nature.
Belties are known to be good natured, undemanding, intelligent and are especially renowned for their mothering ability, being caring and devoted with an unparalleled calf survival rate. Beltie mothers produce a very good yield of rich, hearty milk and usually raise good, healthy calves.
The distinctive white stripes are inherited from the Dutch Lakenyelder which was crossed with the Galloway, an all black Scottish breed of Viking origin, to create the first Belted Galloways sometime in the 16 or 1700s.
Their relatively small size suited them well to the harsh, steep, rocky terrain of South West Scotland. Belties soon acquired a wide ranging taste in weeds, grasses and other plants and to this day they will eat a more varied diet than just about any other breed of cattle. This, combined with their overall hardiness has earned them a reputation for thriving in environments where others fail to even survive.
One attribute worth noting is their thick, soft, dual-layered coat. Most cattle wear only one coat but a beltie sports two. Sometimes described as being "woolly", the outer coat moults in summer making these magnificent animals highly adaptable to extremes of climate, and even more efficient as less food is used to keep warm in the colder months.