From open-range husbandry to organized rescue

Breeder Ralph Michael Wright’s historical account describes a Florida sheep-keeping system built around spring roundups. Owners separated sheep using their marks, lambs remained with their mothers, and vigorous ram lambs were selected as future sires. After shearing and other work, much of the flock returned to the pinewoods.

This account connects the sheep with an agricultural culture that relied heavily on animals surviving and reproducing under extensive conditions. It does not prove that every present flock descends unchanged from one particular shipment of Spanish sheep. Wright explicitly recognizes that no current breed can confidently be declared the first or oldest American sheep breed.

The modern preservation story is more specific. Wright records the association’s formation in 2007 and a search involving extension offices, laboratories and universities. He describes locating an undocumented South Florida ranch flock with a history extending to the 1870s, then rescuing it when sale for slaughter became possible. That episode shows how recovering a living flock and its history can add to organized breed conservation.