Wessex Saddletail Pig: Breed Characteristics and Information

The Wessex Saddleback pig is a breed of domestic pig originating in the West of England, specifically the Wiltshire region and the New Forest of Hampshire.

It is also known as wessex pig, and the modern saddleback breed originated in 1967 from a combination of two historic pig breeds from southern England.

These two breeds are Essex and Wessex. Although there is some confusion as to the exact origin of the Wessex Saddleback pig breed.

Some sources claim that the breed is simply of unknown origin. While other sources say the breed started as a cross between “New Forest Black” and “Old English Bed Sheet”, spreading to Hampshire and the Isle of Purbeck in the 18th century.

The Wessex saddleback pig breed is considered to be one of the few British pig breeds to have been little affected by crossbreeding with “Neapolitan” pigs of Far Eastern origin.

And it’s probably one of the closest relatives of old pigs, the pigs that have grazed in forests all over Britain for many centuries. A breed society called the Wessex Saddleback Tribal Society was founded in 1918 in the UK.

But in the middle of the 20th century, pig farming became more and more intensive. The larger systems best suited to the Wessex pig breed fell into disrepair and the breed’s total numbers gradually declined. Learn more about the breed below.

Characteristics of the Wessex Saddle Pig

Wessex Saddleback pigs are tall, slender animals. They are mostly black in color with a white stripe around the front of the body, extending from one foreleg over the shoulder to the other.

The white coloring of this breed of pig forms a white band resembling a saddle or sheet. Photos and information from Wikipedia.

Advantages

These animals are considered excellent pigs to eat. They are traditionally used as “bacon” and grown to make bacon and ham.

Special Notes

The Wessex Saddleback Pig is a hardy and adaptable breed of pig known for its ability to thrive in the open. Traditionally, the breed was grown on pasture.

They have excellent foraging abilities and very good maternal qualities. The breed has also been used in commercial crossbreeding systems, particularly with the Large White.

However, check out the full profile of this breed in the following table.

video

Breed nameSaddleback Wessex
another namewessex
Special NotesVery hardy, good for grazing, excellent forager, good maternal quality, used in commercial crossbreeding systems.
Breed sizemedium
climatic tolerancenative climate
coat colorGenerally black with a white stripe around the front of the body, running from one front leg to the other from the shoulder.
scarcitygeneral
Country/place of originEngland
You can bookmark this page