Rya

Rya, or Ryafår, is a Swedish sheep breed associated with long, shiny carpet wool. It was restored from Swedish landrace sheep with influence from Norwegian Spælsau-type stock after longwool sheep became scarce in places such as Dalarna. The breed is double-coated, usually polled, and selected for fleece that can produce the strong, lustrous wool used in traditional rya textiles.

Rya sheep often fit small and medium fiber flocks where fleece character matters as much as lamb weight. Their wool should be judged by lock length, shine, crimp, and the balance between outercoat and undercoat, not by Merino softness. They also need ordinary farm soundness: good feet, easy lambing, mothering, and enough thrift to use rougher pasture. For breeders, the challenge is keeping the textile identity alive while avoiding animals that are selected only for a dramatic fleece and not for healthy, useful sheep.