At aylesbeare common we use grazing livestock to help manage the heathland habitat, the livestock are owned by graziers not by the RSPB. Different grazing species have different effects. For example horses have a similar grazing frequency to cattle but tend to spread their zone of grazing to cover a greater area, producing a smaller effect on a given area than cattle would. Similarly, cattle have been found to be more useful in the restoration of pastures with low species richness.
The Galloway is naturally hornless, and instead of horns has a bone knob at the top of its skull called the poll. The breed's shaggy coat has both a thick, woolly undercoat for warmth and stiffer guard hairs that help shed water, making them well adapted to harsher climates.
Mature bulls weigh 730–860 kilograms.
Mature cows 410–570 kilograms.