HEFTING OR LEARING OF STOCK
Individual herds and flocks of animals do not roam across
the whole of Dartmoor but are trained to become
accustomed to grazing in one locality. The training of
the animals to remain in a limited area is known as hefting
nationally, but learing on Dartmoor. The area concerned
is called the lear, which comes from the same root as lair.
Successful learing requires a sufficient number of flocks
or herds to graze adjacent to one another on any one
common so that the animals are encouraged by each
other to stay in their own space rather like the pieces of
a jigsaw. If a flock is removed from the common, other
animals will move in to fill the vacuum. Establishing a
lear is essential to good practice as it enables the farmer
to quickly locate his animals and to carry out necessary
stockman’s tasks. Sheep sold to another area of the
moor have been known to travel many miles, in order
to return to their original lear. For ease of management,
some leared flocks are sold with the farm when it
changes hands.
