Characteristics of Longhorns
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Desirable
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Objectionable
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Undesirable
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A. Functional Efficiency
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| 1. Fertility |
Early maturity and longevity
Cows - Feminine, regular and early calving
Bulls - Masculine, virile, high libido |
Abnormal reproductive organs |
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| 2. Sheath |
Retracted Prepuce, small orifice, flat small naval flap |
|
Long pendulous sheath, non-retractable prepuce.
Excessive naval flap both male & female |
| 3. Udder & teats |
Well attached, balanced |
Teats too large for calf to nurse at birth; meaty, broken,
loosely attached |
Hard, firm, meaty udder, unable to produce enough milk for
her calf |
| 4. Disposition |
Mild, tractable |
Nervous |
|
| 5. Size |
Adequate for age |
Small for age, extremely over-sized |
|
| 6. Hair (dependent on environment) |
Short, straight, slick coat |
Long, curly hair |
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| 7. Hide |
Vascular, mellow and pliable naval flap |
Tight, excessive skin fold, excessive sheath or naval flap |
Extra large sheath or naval flap |
| 8. Legs and feet |
Squarely set, sound feet and joints |
Very short legs, sickle hocks and "post" legs,
Mule-footed - extra close, weak hocks |
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B. Conformation
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| 1. General form or type |
Good length with moderate depth and
thickness. Top of hips higher than top of shoulders.
Elliptical shaped body for heat adaptation. Sound dense bones. Strong legs
with free movement; Bulls slightly thicker and heavier muscled than cows.
Exhibiting crest development on neck. |
|
Any evidence of hump directly over shoulder region |
| 2. Head |
Showing masculinity and femininity according to
sex; moderate width with pronounced length from poll t muzzle.
Straight profile. Some evidence of throat flap. |
Nose extremely "pinched-in" above
nostrils. Short blocky head. Convex forehead. "Roman
Nose". Pendulous dewlap |
|
| 3. Ears |
Medium to small, short round ears |
Longer, droopy ears |
Extremely large, droopy ears |
| 4. Muzzle |
Mealy mouthed, pigmented |
Non-pigmented |
Wry nose, over shot or undershot jaw |
| 5. Horns |
Cows: Slender, wide twisted outward "Pole
measurement" of 40" or more, tip to tip on mature cows.
Bulls: Horns with longitudinal length and a forward and upward sweep.
"Pole measurement" of 40" or more tip to tip on mature
bulls.
|
Cows: Broad-based horns; horns that sharply
curve upward. "Pole measurement" under 24", tip to tip, at
4 yrs of age.
Bulls: Horns that curve sharply upward "Pole measurement" of
under 24" tip to tip at 3 yrs of age.
|
Cows: "Pole measurement" of under
24" tip to tip, at 5 yrs of age.
Bulls: "Pole measurement" of under 24" tip to tip at 4
ys of age
|
| 6. Neck |
Trim in cow. Muscular in bull |
Ewe neck, very long or very short |
|
| 7. Shoulders |
Free moving, smooth and well muscled |
Open on top, sharply dropping down behind shoulders |
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| 8. Brisket |
Trim and free from excessive fleshiness |
Excessive fat, downward sloping and excessive dewlap |
|
| 9. Heart Girth |
Elliptical and full |
Pinched girth |
|
| 10. Back |
Strong topline with slope upward from shoulders to hook
bones |
Extreme swayback |
|
| 11. Loin |
Reasonably broad and full |
Extremely narrow and low |
|
| 12. Ribs |
Moderately well sprung, elliptical |
Slab sided |
|
| 13. Hooks |
Broad, reasonably prominent and sloping downward
toward pin bones |
Narrowness in hooks |
|
| 14. Rump |
Long, moderately sloping from hooks to pins |
Short, narrow and extremely drooping |
|
| 15. Tail |
Long with full switch |
Very short tail |
Wry tail |
| 16. Hindquarters |
Reasonably broad and muscular, moderately wide
at pins |
Extremely narrow |
Double muscling |
C. Color
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| 1. Coat |
" Their colors were more varied than
those of the rainbow. There were brindles; blues-mulberry blue,
ringstreaked blue, speckled blue; grullas - so named because they had the
hue of the sandhill crane, also called mouse-colored, or slate duns,
washed out and Jersey creams - all hues of "yellow," browns with
bay points; blacks, solid and splotched with white, brown and red; whites
both clearly bright and dirty speckled; many sabinas, red and white
peppered; reds of all shades except the dark richness characteristic of
the Hereford, pale reds being very common; paints of many
combinations. The line along the back was common, as in the mustang
breed. Coarse brown hairs around the ears were characteristic. The
shadings and combination of colors were so various that no two were
alike". J. Frank Dobie. |
