When we talk about animals belonging to the "Iberian stock", we mean those whose external features are consistent with dark fur animals; elongated, floppy ears, with convex profiles, sunken body, long snout and thin, stylized legs.

There are basically four different Iberian breeds: Black Breed, Blonde Breed, Retinta or Dark Brown Breed and the Spotted Breed.

These animals have the special ability to store fat in intramuscular, subcutaneous and intervisceral deposits, having little capacity to transform the food they eat and they are not in turn very fertile. These characteristics in their metabolism, together with the physical exercise they get running free through the Dehesa influence the formation of the animal, narrowing their front part and widening their rear part and thereby favouring the development of their most precious and delicate part: Ibérico ham.