Nestled within the beautiful Devonshire countryside, our small family-run working farm has lots of friendly animals waiting to meet you and say hello – from our Dorset Horn sheep to Berkshire pigs, Orpington chickens and Campbell ducks. With lots going on all-year-round, we are happy to invite individuals and groups to book a visit and experience country life at the farm up close.
Perhaps you’d like to see the lambs and piglets feeding from their mothers, or watch fluffy chicks and ducklings hatch? Or enjoy watching the ducks swimming in their pond, or the chickens clucking around! You can also meet Dinky, our ‘ginger ninja’ miniature Shetland pony, and take a gentle stroll through our 9 acres of mature woodlands to see if you can spot any deer, pheasants or other wildlife.
As a working farm, animal welfare is our top priority, and we pride ourselves on our traditional farming methods and dedication to sustainability. We provide exceptional meat and eggs from British heritage pigs, sheep and poultry slow-reared with compassion on our acres of lush green pastures, for incredible natural flavour and texture.
We currently have a variety of sheep breeds and are working towards building a new flock of heritage Dorset Horn sheep. The Dorset Horn is an endangered British breed sheep and is documented from the seventeenth century which spread over Dorset, Somerset, Devon and most of Wales. They are white-woolled and white-faced; the nostrils are a characteristic pink and both sexes are horned, with heavy spiral horns on rams. Their fleeces are thick, the mothers are amazing milk producers and both sexes have the ability of producing delicious meat. In 1750 this was the breed selected by the English with a fine palate would eat for Christmas!
We have a couple of pet mallard ducks with us on the farm but breed Khaki Campbell Ducks for their meat and eggs. The Campbell duck is a British rare breed developed by Adele Campbell of England at the turn of the 20th century, bred for their tasty eggs and superb flavour and tenderness of their meat. Campbells are lively and are good foragers. The Khaki is, as its name suggests, an even shade of warm khaki with pencilling on the breast. The drake should have a green-bronze head and the duck a slightly darker shade of khaki to the body.
The Orpington is a heritage breed developed in Kent, England in the nineteenth century by William Cook of Orpington and is a dual-purpose chicken breed. Bred specifically to produce superior eggs and a reputation for good quality, tender and flavourful meat. Orpington Chickens original colours are black, white, buff, blue and splash although many other variations are available now. With their fluffed out feathers they look larger than they actually are.
The Berkshire pig is classed is a Heritage Rare Breed originating from the English county of Berkshire. The meat is succulent and more flavourful than standard pork and known for its superior quality. Prized for juiciness, flavour and tenderness, pink-hued and heavily marbled, a choice for many leading chefs. Berkshire pigs have pricked ears and are black in colour, with four white socks and white markings on the face.
We currently have two English Goats on site, Celeste and baby Ceecee. The English Goat is a beautifully marked, deer-like goat with a very friendly temperament, currently within the Priority category of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Watchlist. They are usually brown or grey, with occasional patches of white, and have a dark line down their back with similar markings on their legs, necks and flanks. Thriving in the British climate, their history dates back to Georgian times, with the first known picture of the breed taken in 1872. The naturally high levels of solids in English Goat milk means it makes lovely cheese - and even soap!
Summer 2022 has been a time of exciting new arrivals at the Harlings farm, with the one-year-old Holly and the two-year-old Molly joining the family. Our two Gloucester girls are the British-native rare breed cattle to call Harlings their home, and they’ve wasted no time tucking into our green fields for some tasty grass. Gloucester cows are traditionally dual-purpose farm animals, used to produce milk and as beef cattle. Today they’re an endangered breed, listed on the priority conservation list by the Rare Breeds Society Trust, which means we’ve made it our mission to help them reproduce. We hope to have our first new addition in 2023 as Molly is expecting her first calf.
Ponies have historically been work animals, both for riding and for pulling carriage. Our two registered Welsh Section D ponies, Catrin and Dylan, are no different. Born and bred in Wales, they’re hardy, high-spirited animals who like to take pride in what they enjoy, and are great at both ridden and driven disciplines. Both of them have been schooled to be ridden, but after some trademark stubbornness and a few confused vets, we realised that Dylan had nothing wrong with him - and simply preferred his rider on the floor and not on his back. In contrast, Catrin really does not like what she seems to think is something chasing her from behind, and prefers her rider to take charge from the saddle. We love them both for their very individual personalities and movement.
We were expecting a 17hh thoroughbred horse to arrive from one of our livery ladies, and then discovered these two registered British Native Standard Shetland ponies in the field instead! Born and bred in Scotland and then residing in Devon, she brought them to us temporarily whilst looking for a new family for them to join. As it turns out, they’d found it. Our two beautiful Scots, Bert and Ernie, made it impossible to part ways and have since become permanent members of the Harlings crew. With great temperaments, this beautiful duo of ridden and driven ponies are now very much part of the farm and what we do.
We currently have just one British Miniature Shetland Pony, but Dinky more than makes up for it with his antics. Taught to be a nuisance by our son, who used to ride Dinky, he’s become a most mischievous prankster, taking every opportunity to get up to no good and make people laugh. When he’s not causing trouble, he’s a regular member at fundraising events. We think he's the only pony who has ever been in Launceston Tesco, when he helped raise money for the local Riding for the Disabled group! Along with some of our other ponies, you’ll also find Dinky taking part in our skills and well-being sessions, helping people who’ve come to Harlings to learn. In 2023 we hope to double our numbers, finding Dinky a look-a-like companion to become his carriage partner.
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