Welcome to The 3 Ryelands
The lives of 3 Coloured Ryeland sheep, Gigi, Gladys and Dolly.
About Me
Hello I'm Will, an avid sheep fan and an aspiring veterinary surgeon. I have always had an interest in creatures great and small, especially sheep, and have dreams of one day owning a small holding caring for rare and exotic animals from Grey-faced Dartmoor sheep and Highland cows to Mata Mata turtles and Black Diamond Stingrays. But, we've all got to start somewhere and these 3 sheep are the start of my journey down the yellow brick road of becoming a vet and owning all sorts of weird and wonderful animals!
A little bit about the sheep
Born in early 2019, Gladys, Gigi and Dolly are all yearling Coloured Ryelands.
I chose this ancient English breed because of their hardiness (not known to get lots of problems with legs etc.), great heritage and they are wonderful mothers that rarely have complications at birth.
Being one of the oldest and rare breeds of sheep, Ryelands also appealed to my interest in rare and exotic animals. The breed dates back to 7 centuries ago when monks in Herefordshire bred and grazed these sheep on the rye pastures, giving the sheep their name (1). Ryelands were also considered to have the best fleece of the time with even Queen Elizabeth the First insisting her stockings were made of Ryeland wool (1)! With such an extensive history its a shame that this Herefordshire breed is becoming increasingly rare.
Gigi
Gladys
Dolly
References
(1) - www.ryelandsheep.com. (n.d.). Ryeland Sheep - Peartree Stud. [online] Available at: http://www.ryelandsheep.com/history2.html [Accessed 22 Jun. 2020]