The following are the characteristics breeders are looking for:
- SIZE - the official measuring point of the Miniature Hereford is at the hip.
They range at maturity from the maximum of 47" for bulls and 45" for cows and
down in size.
- MARKINGS - the entire face should be white with a small amount of pigment
around the eyes, which is desired to reduce the incidences of Pink Eye in the
summer. A strip of white should start just behind the ears proceeding along the
crest of the neck to the shoulder point area. The white strip should never
extend all the way down the center of the back. The white continues down under
the brisket, between the front legs, along the belly, all the way back through
to the rear flank area with white showing slightly from each side. There should
be white from the hooves up on all four legs stopping before the knee and hock
joint area. The tail brush is the only part of the tail to be white. The rest
of the body including the pigmented areas like the scrotum should be a brown
varying from a light brown all the way to a reddish-brown color.
- CONFORMATION - The front view: the head, the muzzle and between the
eyes should be broad. The eyes should be near the front but on the side of the
head, prominent but not sunken in or overly protruding. No undershot jaw
is permitted. The horns should be below the level of the top of the head on
older animals. The feet should neither be pointing in or outwards and should be
set well apart with a well-filled brisket. The side view from front to
back: the top of the head should be held slightly higher than the top of the
shoulder. The brisket should start trim underneath the throat and dip down deep
between the front legs. The neck should be short but should blend well into the
shoulder and the shoulder point should not protrude. The height of the shoulder
is sometimes slightly lower than the height of the hip in younger animals as
compared to older, mature animals. A slight hump on top of the neck is
permitted in bulls. The front legs should be straight and not bow forward or
backwards at the knee. The length of the leg should be short from the hoof to
the knee in comparison to the total height. All hooves should have short toes
and problem free feet. The body top and bottom line should be parallel. The
bottom line should be below the stifle and elbow joints showing depth of body.
The top line should be long and should not show the tail head protruding up or
sloping down. It may show a slight rise in the loin area and not show to be too
low in the loin or sag behind the shoulders. The back legs should be straight
with a slight bend at the hock joint. The lower leg muscle should protrude to
the rear just above the hock joint showing depth of the quarter and heavy
muscling. The rear vertical line of the muscle when carried upward should be
perpendicular with the ground. The rear view of the animal starts with
the feet, with the toes pointing forward, should neither turn in or out. The
legs should be set well apart with the hock joints that should also not turn in
or out thus forming parallel lines with the lines of the side of the body. The
length of bone from hoof to hock joint is to be short in proportion to the depth
of body above. That depth of body will show in the crotch area, which should be
as near to the hock joints as possible. The stifle joint area should be broad
with the same thickness carrying upwards towards the hip joints and over the
top of the tail head not sloping off on the sides. This top width should carry
forward through the loin area narrowing only slightly at the shoulders.
- IN GENERAL - the animal should have an overall thick beefy appearance. The
body should be close to the ground as seen by the short hoof to hock/stifle
joint areas. The entire animal should be well balanced and proportioned in
both the front and hind ends with the rear being slightly heavier in muscling.
The animal should have a slightly heavier than light bone structure giving
ample surface for muscle attachment. The animal's head should not be overly
small or too large in size but rather in proportion to the size of the body
and should also show gender characteristics whether being masculine for the
bull or feminine for the cow. The visible reproductive organs should be well
developed for the age of the animal.
