In the Middle Ages the rural population kept versatile animals that fulfilled several roles but did none of them particularly well.

However, since humans first began to use and domesticate wild animals, they have been changing those animals to suit their needs.

Today we demand high production from agriculture, using highly efficient, but single purpose livestock breeds. Our old multi-purpose breeds have been reduced to pitifully low numbers and some have been lost forever. If all farmers at all times and in all places were searching for the identical requirements, then the ideal animals would probably have been created centuries ago, and we would be content with one breed of each species. However this is not the case, as different communities have different requirements of their animals, which also have to suit geographical and climatic conditions.

A sample of each of our cattle breeds is normally on display at the Farm Park on any one day. All the cattle leave the Farm Park site each night to go onto large grazing fields and are waiting to come back into work each morning! We put the bulls out with the cows in June, so that our calves will be born nine months later in March.

Our animals in historical order:

• Early History: Soay sheep, Highland cattle
• Bronze Age: North Ronaldsay sheep, English goats
• Iron Age: Shetland sheep, Oxen, Iron Age pigs
• Roman Britain: Cotswold sheep, White Park cattle, Exmoor ponies
• Viking Britain: Hebridean sheep, Manx Loughtan sheep
• Norman Britain: Norfolk Horn and Herdwick sheep, Gloucester cattle, Tamworth pigs, Shire horses, Bagot goats.
• Agricultural Revolution: Portland and Castlemilk Moorit sheep, Belted Galloway cattle, Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, donkeys
• Second World War: Kerry Hill sheep, Shetland ponies, Golden Guernsey goats.
• Modern Agriculture: Texel sheep, Boer goats.