There are a whole lot of terms used for sheep and many are confusing to say the least. Not only are they poorly defined but they may vary in meaning between countries or even states.

The terms pure-bred, stud and commercial are commonly used but what do they mean.

Pure-bred: used most commonly for the rarer breeds where sheep are only crossed with those of the same breed. Relies on the honesty of the breeder to maintain the pure-bred blood line. Has worked for the Wiltshire Horn breed for over 2000 years, long before stud books and registries. Breeders maintain the sheep breed characteristics by not crossing and maintaining healthy strong sheep.

Stud: applies where the sheep are registered through a professional organisation to which fees are paid. Studs provide the paper trail of a stud sheep's lineage. Studs are supposed to maintain their flocks characteritic's according to the breeds standards. Stud sheep cost more but have the same genetics as pure-bred.

Commercial: generally used to refer the lower quality sheep of the very common breeds, eg merino. Really has no meaning for Wiltshire Horns and other rarer breeds.

So all Wiltshire Horns bred with other Wiltshire Horns are pure-bred. If you want to pay extra you can buy a stud Wiltshire Horn.

The terms 1st cross, 2nd cross etc are used for some breeds eg Dorper and Wiltipols when some desired characteristic is not really reliable eg shedding in Dorpers and pol (no horns) in Wiltipols. Doesn't apply to pure-bred Wiltshire Horns.