BODY

• straight topline from the shoulders to the tail head, with the tail blending smoothly into the body
• good width along the back, especially behind the shoulders and between the hooks
• shoulders should not be too prominent
• well sprung ribs
• well filled out over the plates, located between the hooks and the tail
• full, well developed thighs
• hind-quarters viewed from the rear should appear deep and square
• straight sturdy legs, set well apart, with good bone and profuse hair covering
• large well set hoove

• proportionate to the body
• broad between the eyes
• short from the eyes to the muzzle
• eyes clear, bright, alert, yet calm
• broad, clear flesh coloured muzzle with distended nostrils
• jaw neither overshot nor undershot
• dossan (the hair between the horns) should be wide, thick and reach to the muzzle

• extend level out of the head, curving slightly forward and downwards
  
• strong and masculine
  
• symmetrical
  
• avoid ‘doonie horns’ which tend to immediately droop downwards out of the head instead of extending horizontally from the head
  

COWS 16 year old cow

Two year old heifer

Yearling heifer

• extend more or less horizontally out of the head and rise
  
• the rise and twist of the horns varies from animal to animal
  
• feminine, graceful, symmetrical appearance
  
• avoid ‘doonie horns’

• colder climates produce long profuse hair coats
• a soft fluffy undercoat is protected by a long, strong, outer coat which can reach 14 inches in length
  
• both coats shed annually, during warm summer weather
  
• colours – black, brindle (red with black streaks, black with red streaks, yellow with dun streaks), light red to dark red, yellow, dun, silver dun, and white.
  
• most common colours are red and yellow
  
• a bull’s hair coat is not as profuse after the age of two