The Real Reindeer herd originate from a large herd of reindeer kept by our friends in Northern Sweden. We now are able to breed our own reindeer at our farm with the inclusion of the first females in 2011.
With our earlier reindeer, the domesticating and taming process started in Sweden to ensure that their journey to the UK is not too stressful. We transported them ourselves to ensure their specific requirements are met.
Our reindeer adapt extremely well to the UK climate; although able to withstand the extremes of temperature in the Arctic Circle, they moult their winter coat in the spring and have a much finer summer coat.
In northern Sweden the summer is very similar to ours with temperatures reaching approximately 28°C . At our farm they have a range of paddocks and 24 hour access to a 17th century stone Dovecote which stays wonderfully cool with the thick stone walls.
Reindeer husbandry is a very specialised skill and as such bears enormous responsibility on the herder. We have supported the VLA (Veterinary Laboratories Association) on the production of articles about reindeer ownership in the UK. They were concerned about the wholesale import and sale of reindeer to people who don’t have the knowledge or expertise.
We are also supported by committed vets who have worked with us to acquire essential knowledge in the treatment and care of reindeer in the UK.
All reindeer should have bright eyes, well cared for feet and a shiny coat. At events, they should be relaxed enough to lie down, eat and drink. That means they have been trained correctly. We meet many people all over the country who comment that our reindeer are the healthiest looking they have seen. Our reindeer have a thorough and ongoing training programme. As a result they are always calm at events, they will often lie down and relax while surrounded by an admiring public. They never cease to amaze us and will even travel in lifts with us.
The reindeer are our extended family and we take great pride in looking after them. They have very different characters and personalities. They range from the very cute delightful youngsters to magnificent mature bulls. All our reindeer have Scandinavian names; they do have ‘stage’ names when clients want some of the famous nine who pull Santa’s sleigh in film and song.
Here are some pictures of our reindeer at the farm
