Posted on February 19, 2009 - by Russell

Breed Guidelines - Ears

In this edition of the Breed Guidelines we are going to study the ears of a Longhorn. We will be looking at size, shape and position of the ears. The ears should be medium to small in size and they should be round in shape. The ears should also be positioned fairly close to the horns or horn base. It is considered objectionable if the ears are long with a slight droop. Extremely large and droopy ears are considered an undesirable trait in a Longhorn. Photos left to right. Photo 1) Example of small ears, rounded on the ends and set close to the horns. Photo 2) Example of medium size ears, rounded on the ends but could be set a little closer to the horns. Photo 3)Example of a ear that is a little larger than it should be, it rounds on ends and doesn’t droop. Photo 4) Example of ears that are somewhat larger than they should be, not set very close to the horns  and they are pointing forward, these are not very desirable. Photo 5) Example of small ears, rounded on the ends and set close to the horns. Photo 6)Example of medium size ears, rounded on the ends but could be set a little closer to the horns. If you look closely at all these photos you will notice that there is hair hanging over the opening of the ears. This hair serves an important purpose, it keeps insects from being able to get inside the ears.