An Ancient Heritage Cattle Breed
The unique appearance of Belted Galloway cattle inspires many questions about their origins. With black, red or dun color sandwiched about a white middle, they are familiarly known as ‘Belties’ among breeders of the animals. Though references to ‘sheeted’ cattle occur in literature and art as early as the 11th Century, the Belted Galloway’s first recorded history indicates that they developed during the 16th Century in the former Galloway district of Scotland.
The Belted Galloway is essentially the same in origin and characteristics as the Galloway and only differ by the distininctve white belt that is thought to have been introduced in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
Historians writings differ somewhat, but upon three points they generally agree regarding the origin of the Galloway/Belted Galloway. The breed is recognised to be a very ancient one, with obscure origins and its name derived from the word Gallovid or Gaul. The Gauls were the native inhabitants of the regality known as the Province of Galloway. The cattle of the region were said to be dark, smooth-polled, wavy-haired with undercoats like beavers fur and for centuries they went unnamed, referred to only as the black cattle of Galloway.
From this coastal environment of winds and damp cold, combined with an undulating terrain of moors, granitic hills, heathery mountain ranges and fertile glens emerged the Galloway breed of cattle.
The Galloway breed of cattle became important during the Scoto-Saxon period, and the breeders enjoyed the export of cheese and hides. Later the cattle were sold in considerable numbers to English farmers who sent them to market after a fattening period on English grass. It is said that the Galloway breed was never crossed with the other breeds. It is not known where the polled (no horns) characteristic was acquired because in its beginning many of the cattle were horned. However, many writers during the last part of the 1700’s and early 1800’s mentioned polled Galloway cattle, the breeders decided they liked the polled characteristic and started selecting their cattle for this characteristic.
Characteristics
The Belted Galloway is a very distinctive breed with its characteristic white belt which encircles the body, the rest of the body being black, dun or red in colour. The distinctive white belt found in Belted Galloways often varies somewhat in width and regularity but usually covers most of the body from the shoulders to the hooks.
They are naturally polled hill cattle, eminently suited for converting rough grazing into lean meat. Their double coat of long hair, to shed the rain, and soft undercoat, for warmth, eliminates the need for expensive housing.
The cows are long living (17-20 years), regular breeders and noted for the amount of rich milk they produce, therefore rearing a good calf. It is claimed that Belted Galloways are larger, milk heavier, and grow more rapidly than the parental breed.
The Beltie as a beef animal produces exceptionally lean and flavorful meat, with carcass dressed weights well in excess of 60 percent of live weight.
Statistics
The “Beltie” Breed is naturally polled and when crossed with another breed it will prevent the growth of horns in virtually all cases.
Belted Galloways are known for their ease of calving producing a live calf every year. Some have had two separate calves in one year.
“Belties” are able to adapt to a variety of climatic conditions. They have good foraging abilities, ensuring that they thrive where other breeds fail. The coat is shed in hot weather, thus making them a highly adaptable and versatile breed for a variety of climatic conditions.
The breed was evolved in a harsh environment, resulting in high disease resistance and the ability to survive in the toughest of conditions. Belted Galloway breeders find that their cattle are more resistant to pink eye, insects and foot problems than many other breeds.
Belties do not develop much fat under their hides; instead they have a double coat of hair consisting of a dense, soft, short undercoat and a long, shaggy overcoat, which is usually cast in hot weather. This double coat provides excellent protection in cold, wet, windy weather. In contrast, most other British beef breeds put on a thicker layer of uneconomical fat under their hides to provide the necessary insulation for protection against severe weather conditions.
Comparative
Growth
Tests have shown that the Galloway requires the least amount of feed per kilogram of weight gain making the cattle efficient converters. They consume more varieties of flora than any other breed on tests conducted in Germany
Hardiness
Their heavy, double hair coat means that heat loss is reduced, winter feed costs are significantly less and rain hardly penetrates in cold, wet weather. The Belted Galloway cow has about 4000 hairs to the square inch making the coat resistant to severe cold.
Meat
Belted Galloway Beef has been shown in a research study conducted at the University of Guelph – to have a total fat content of about 2% an extremely low percentage. The same study showed that the Belted Galloway Beef tested only contained about 1% saturated fat. In addition it showed that Belted Galloway beef had the same fat content as chicken and fish so fits in well with a healthy diet. Belted Galloway beef is exceptionally tender, full of flavour and juicy. Belted Galloway was the winner of the Sydney Royal Show “Beef Taste Test”.
Our Herd
Currently we have 3 Belted Galloways in our herd. Fiona our 7 year old cow, Bridget our young heifer and Harrison our young Bull. Our girls will be bred here on the farm, for the first time in 2023. We purchased Bridget at 1 month of age and it has been a pleasure watching her grow.
As you can see, our female Belted Galloways are not the most common “panda cow” colour, where the white belt is sandwiched by black. Our girls are the hardest to find Dun colour available in the “Beltie” breed. Harrison however, is the traditionally recognized striking black and white that is most common in Belted Galloways.
It is our hope to have this extremely healthy, omega rich, heritage beef available for purchase in 2024.
“In Carrick (then part of Galloway) are oxen of large size, whose flesh is tender, sweet and juicy.”
Ortelius, 1573
Honeylocust Homestead 