Highland Cattle are well known throughout Britain and indeed many parts of the world for their characteristic coat of long hair and their fearsome horns. They are one of Britain's oldest and most admired breeds of cattle, frequently being photographed against picturesque backdrops of copious moorland and rolling hills. Folds of Highland Cattle are well established in many parts of the world, including Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Holland, Finland, France, Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Faroe Islands.

A robust and enduring breed, they adapt naturally to the most extreme environments and survive harsh weather conditions and varying degrees of ground-quality underfoot. They thrive in wide expanses of open land, exposed to the blasting icy winds and substantial rainfall: conditions in which no other breed could exist. Their ability to live outdoors the whole year through, including calving time, makes them a huge asset to farmers and landowners with hilly and upland areas where grazing is poor for any other animal. Their versatility has in recent years provoked an increase in exports to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South America.

Highland cows generally continue to breed to at least 18 years of age, having a calf each year whilst they are of breeding age. They have excellent maternal instincts and will protect their calf steadfastly. The period post-calving is perhaps the only time when a Highland cow is unsafe to approach and should be left well alone to tend to her offspring. A strict pecking order is commonly observed among a fold of Highland Cattle, the more senior cows naturally coming at the top of this hierarchy, leading the fold towards food and always getting the first helping.