Dexter cattle are a minority bree of cattle and until fairly recently, were in fact considered as a rare breed. They are the smallest native breed, and originated in the south of Ireland in the 1800s as an ideal "cottager's cow", producing plenty of milk for the house and a calf to be reared for beef each year. The animals vary in size, but are about half the size of a traditional Hereford and probably one third the size of something like a black and white Friesian milking cow. Dexters come in two different types: short-legged and long-legged. A short-legged Dexter cannot be bred with another short-legged Dexter.