Rubia Gallega is native to the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain, and distributed mainly throughout Galicia. Today, they are distributed throughout the autonomous community, with about 75% of the population concentrated in the province of Lugo. The breed is also known as Galician Blonde and Galician.

The cattle are well-adapted to their native climates and are a dual-purpose breed of cattle which are raised for both milk and meat production. Currently, they are primarily raised for meat production.

Originally bred as draft animals, the Rubia Gallega is a heritage listed breed with a herdbook first being established in 1993, with a total registered population of 39,971 by the end of 2015.

Rubia Gallega cattle are medium to large sized animals with red-blonde, wheaten or cinnamon-coloured coat. They have a beautiful calm and tranquil temperament. Both bulls and females usually have medium length, curved horns, with an average height of around 145cm at the withers for bulls, and about 135cm for the cows. The average live body weight of the mature cows is around 700kg, while mature bulls on average weight around 1,000kg.

Along with meat production, the Rubia Gallega milk is of good supply and quality, leading to it being used for Tetilla cheese production.