The British Saddleback is a striking animal, black with a white unbroken band over the shoulders and down to both front feet, and lop ears over their heads. They can also have white hind feet, a white tail tip and white on the snout but this is not necessary. Belted pigs such as this occur around the world and it is a standard colour pattern that occurs in certain genotypes of the domesticated pig. However, this does not mean that they are necessarily related. The Saddleback's body is both deep and long reflecting its advantages both as an excellent breeding animal and as a producer of high quality meat.
The British Saddleback was recognised in 1967 when the Wessex Saddleback and the Essex breeds were amalgamated. The Wessex Saddleback dates back to 1918 when its first herd book was published. The Essex too began the same year.
The Essex developed in that part of the country, on the southern side of East Anglia, and was considered more of a fancy breed than the Wessex, which hails from around the Isle of Purbeck where Hampshire and Dorset meet and could reasonably claim the title of the New Forest pig. It was from stock of Wessex pigs exported to the USA that the American Hampshire breed was developed although today, apart from the colour markings, there is very little similarity between the breeds.
To find out more about the breed, click here to visit the website of the British Saddleback Breeders' Club.
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