The Galloway is one of the oldest breed of beef cattle and is named after the Galloway region of Scotland, where it originated.
The Galloway was introduced in Canada in 1853, first registered in 1872, and the first Galloway registry was introduced in the USA in 1882.
The Galloway is a naturally polled breed of cattle and has a double coat. The wooly undercoat keeps the cattle warm and the outer coat repel the weather. Thus Galloways are well adapted to the cold climate that we encounter here in Southern Ontario in the winter. They require little to no shelter even in the harsh winter. A windbreak is typically all that is required.
Originally registered Galloways were only black. Black is still the predominant colour. Today Galloways come in black and various shades of dun (from silver dun to dark dun) and red.
Two separate but related breeds to the Galloway are the Belted Galloway and the White Galloway exist with separate registries. They are separate (and much smaller) gene pools from the Galloway breed which is solid coloured.
The Canadian Galloway Association promotes and regulates the breeding of Galloways, Belted Galloways and White Galloways as three separate breeds in three separate sections of the same herd book.
The Canadian Livestock Records Corporation manages the registration of Galloways and other livestock in Canada. It provides an excellent database through which pedigrees of Galloway cattle can be researched.
