Help – What Breed Of Sheep Is This?

sheep

I photographed this sheep in 2008 and now I want to use the image for something but I am not sure what breed it is.

I think it is a Dorset, but I am not sure. And one thing I have learned about sheep is that there are small differences between breeds, and it takes someone who really knows sheep to be able to make a positive identification.

So – does anyone know? Leave a comment with your thoughts, and thank you in advance.

what-breed-of-sheep-is-this-black-and-white-version

Update 8 May

I asked around on Metafilter and got a few suggestions, including that it might be a Southdown or a Ryeland. The consensus was that it was a Ryeland or a cross with a Ryeland.

So I asked the secretary of a breeding association (the wonder of the Google, the internet and email) and he thought it was definitely a Ryeland or a cross. He said that when a Ryeland is crossed with another breed,  the Ryeland dominates so it is hard to be certain from a photo which it is.

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