The ewes in this picture are those originally bought by Elevage Dorset from Fooks Bros of Poorton, Dorset, England in 2004.

Although we no longer breed Dorset Horn sheep and have none to sell, four of these remarkable sheep are still resident at Le Bosquet. The following information is for interest only.

The DORSET HORN is a medium/large English sheep uniquely capable of producing lambs at any time of the year. This means that it can breed twice a year — though a more sustainable rate of lambing is three times every two years.

The Dorset Horn originated from crossing Spanish sheep with native English stock during the C16th. By the C18th and C19th these sheep were known as the Portland breed. However, they were 'improved' by being crossed with Southdown sheep in order to produce today's Dorset Horn.

It is one of the earliest recorded breeds of British sheep – its first Flock Book being established in 1892 and Queen Victoria being the first patroness of the breed's association.

The same association still represents Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset breeders and maintains a Sire Reference Scheme.

Both rams and ewes of this breed have horns – those of the male being much more impressive. However, owing to a freak mutation in the Australian flock, a 'polled' version emerged and was exploited in the 1950s by the Dorset breeder 'Bunny' Lenthall. This identical but hornless 'Polled Dorset' is frequently found in larger-scale flocks.

At Le Bosquet, we prefer to breed only from the original horned variety.

1. Ewes can lamb twice a year – though more sustainably three times in two years.
2. Lambs mature early, giving higher lifetime productivity and reduced cost.
3. Natural high lambing rates can produce yields of around 170%., but with a 'frequent lambing' programme, averages of 250% are possible.
4. The ewes being excellent milkers, fast natural weight gain means that prime lambs can be fit for the butcher at around 10 weeks.
5. Top prices are available for pure or cross-bred lambs sired by Dorset Horn rams owing to the value of the high lean-meat content of the carcass.
6. Rams can sire prime quality lambs from any breed of ewe and can also impart their year-round breeding characteristics to the first generation of their female progeny.
7. They adapt to a wide range of altitude, temperature and climate and survive well on thin downland grass, seldom needing supplements to a grass/hay diet.
8. They are exceptionally easy to manage, responding very tamely to calm affectionate treatment (we always lead them and never need to drive them).
9. Their shorter gestation period means that more ewes can be run to the hectare.
10. Year-round 'frequent lambing' means that large flocks need fewer rams.
11. Their long reproductive life reduces the need for frequent flock replacements.
12. Dorset Horms are well suited to organic farming. They provide a year-round lamb supply, a self-renewing flock and thus reduce the need for expensive health check costs.
13. Detailed information on this breed is available to members of the Dorset Horn & Poll Dorset Sheep Breeders' Association.

The prize-winning Dorset Down ram, above, bred by Pascal Chenu of Le Grand Chausseroy, Cher, France, was the foundation of the breeding lines at Elevage Dorset during 2004-2006. A new Dorset Down ram was imported from Richard Holloway in England by Elevage Dorset in summer 2006 and was thought to be the first introduction of new blood to the French flock since 1967. In 2014 Christopher & Sarah Long began a second foray in England to find new blood to maintain genetic diversity in their own flock and among a small number of other Dorset Down breeders in France.

The DORSET DOWN is a solid, medium-sized English sheep which produces abundant, excellent quality meat and one of the finest grades of wool.

It has its orign in the work of Mr Homer Saunders of Watercombe, near Dorchester, who in 1820 began selectively to improve Down Sheep at Bovington, Dorset – thus producing the 'Watercombe' breed.

Simultaneously a Mr Humfrey of Chaddleworth, near Newbury, selected some of the best Berkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire ewes and crossed them with pure Southdown rams from the celebrated flock of Mr Jonas Webb.

After many years of careful breeding Humfrey produced a class of sheep similar to that of Homer Saunders and known as the 'West Country Down'.

The sheep bred by Saunders and Humfrey were introduced into the Down flocks of Dorset to produce the 'Dorset Down' breed of today.

The breed association was formed in 1906 and in 2004 represented about 50 flocks comprising of about 2,500 pedigree registered sheep in the United Kingdom.

Our Dorset Downs are descendants of the first to be introduced from England into France by Pierre Chenu and Albert Charron in 1967.

Along with others, these two French breeders saw the Dorset Down as more developed than the Southdown which had become common in France. They therefore persuaded the French Ministry of Agriculture to recognise the Dorset Down officially in 1974.

Dorset Downs were soon winners of several awards at the Paris Salon d'Agriculture and their descendants now form the basis of our Elevage Dorset flock at Le Bosquet – though we will be regularly improving our stock from prime English blood-lines.

1. The Dorset Down is an ideal terminal sire, producing solid, meaty, early maturing lambs.
2. It thrives in almost all conditions: at 3,000 metres in the French Alps, here in the lush hills of Normandy and in large numbers on the dry plains of central France.
3. Its wool is generally classified as one of the highest grades.
4. Ewes take a ram in most months of the year, making the breed ideal for the Christmas or early Spring market.
5. Carcass conformation is good with a fine bone and shoulder, being well fleshed with tender, delicately flavoured meat. It produces meaty 'gigots' and thick lean chops.
6. It is exceptionally easy to manage, responding very tamely to calm affectionate treatment (we always lead them and never need to drive them).
7. Dorset Downs thrive on poor grass and conditions that most other breeds will not tolerate. They seldom need supplements to a grass/hay diet.
8. In recent years Dorset Downs have been much used commercially in Italy.
9. The breed is officially recognised by the French Ministry of Agriculture and is represented by:
   'UPRA Suffolk-Hampshire-Dorset',
   Maison Nationale des Eleveurs, 149 Rue de Bercy, 75595 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 4004 4957
   
10. UPRA (France) describes the Dorset Down as "... a large sheep of excellent conformation, used throughout Central France for cross-breeding in order to achieve precocious, well-conformed, lean-meat lambs which can achieve 16-18 kg of carcass in 90-110 days... In competitions the rams have repeatedly demonstrated their qualities in producing excellent carcasses and their value as terminal sires..." Additionally UPRA statistics show: "... an average productivity is 152%; 10-30 days-old male twins gaining a daily average of 255 grammes; rams weighing an average of 110 kg, ewes weighing an average of 70 kg; 30-70 days-old single males gaining an average 295 grams...". In 2004 the Dorset Down population in France was estimated at 2,400 although only about 300 were registered in the UPRA pedigree records.
11. Detailed information on this breed is available to members of The Dorset Down Sheep Breeders Association