Breed Standards (Standard of Excellence) downloadable PDF
BEGINNING JULY 1, 2025 ALL ANIMALS ARE SUBJECT TO INSPECTION BY THE BREED STANDARDS COMMITTEE
| ITEM | DESIRABLE | PERMISSABLE | OBJECTIONABLE | DISQUALIFICATIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. BREED CHARACTER | ||||
| 1. Hair Color | Solid Santa Gertrudis red (light or dark). | Slight dilution of red. Some white hairs in switch. | Creamy underline and twist, dilution, light or dark spots in other areas; blackish red. Birthmarks may have white or black hair color, but do not include white skin/hide color. | Any extreme manifestation or combination of discriminations that will be a definite detriment to our breed improvement. White outside underline or other spotting in other parts of the body. Brindling in any extent. Roan condition. No more than 50% of the underline may be white and must remain behind the front legs and may not extend past the udder or testicles. |
| 2. Hair Patterns (dependant on environtment) | Short, straight, slick coat. | Medium length. | Long, wavy hair. | |
| 3. Head | ||||
| a. Bull | Broad with sufficient length, masculine, slightly convex forehead; straight profile. | Long and narrow, dish face, cow head. (feminine) | ||
| b. Female | Feminine with sufficient length and width. | Long and narrow, dish face, bullish head. (masculine) | ||
| 4. Ears | Medium to large, slightly dropping, open forward. | Horizontal position. | Turned down; Small. | Vestigial. |
| 5. Eyes | Large, prominent, pigmented. | Close together, *bug-eyed* | ||
| 6. Horns | Horned or polled. | |||
| 7. Muzzle | Broad and large. | Wry nose, overshot or undershot jaw. | ||
| 8. Tail | Smooth insertion, full, long switch reaching below hocks. | High insertion "rat tail" or short tail. | Wry tail. | |
| 9. Dewlap | Moderate development. | Lack of dewlap, tight throat. | ||
| 10. Navel | ||||
| a. Bull | Flat medium-sized. | Excessive bell. | Hernia. | |
| b. Female | Navel score of 3 or less, well attached and balanced. | Excessive bell shaped or irregularly attached navel. | Evidence of navel change; hernia. | |
| B.DISPOSITION | ||||
| 1. Temperament | Mild, easily managed. | Nervous. | Mean disposition. | |
| C. CONFORMATION | ||||
| 1. General form or type | ||||
| a. Bull | Exceptional breed character, displaying masculinity and strong straight lines. Great depth, bone, body capacity and thickness. He is structurally correct from end to end and stands correctly on his feet and legs. Long rump, long muscled, deep quartered and has adequate looseness of hide; free in his movement. | Small and refined. Short and round muscled. | Extremely rangy or flat sided No thickness or natural muscle. | |
| b. Female | Ideal breed character, feminine head, clean in the front and blending smoothly from neck to shoulders. Long and smooth in her muscle structure yet displays adequate bone, depth and body capacity. Strong over her top, full in the crop, deep in the flank and have moderate slope from hooks to pins. Stands correctly on a good set of feet and legs; free in her movement. | Small and refind, hard "doing"; lack of natural muscle. | ||
| 2. Neck | ||||
| a. Bull | Medium in length, muscular, but neat, smooth attachment; moderate crest, hump and dewlap development. | Short, thin neck, excessive or too large a crest and lack of dewlap, "ewe neck". | ||
| b. Female | Moderately thin, neat and blending smoothly in shoulders and moderate dewlap development. | Short, thick coarse neck, lack of dewlap, "ewe neck" showing masculinity. | ||
| 3. Shoulder and forearms | ||||
| a. Bull | Well muscled, massive, masculine; with definition of forearm muscling, free moving. | Open. | Excessively open causing front legs to bow. | |
| b. Female | Smooth and moderately muscled, blending smoothly into rest of body; as viewed from side, should be slightly shallower in forequarter than rear quarter. | Open. | Excessiveley open causing front legs to bow. | |
| 4. Crest | ||||
| a. Bull | Evidence of hump immediately forward of the top of shoulders. | Absence of hump. | Large hump. | |
| b. Female | Absence of hump. | Excessive | ||
| 5. Chest | Full and wide chest floor, full crop and full heart girth with ample capacity. Clean broad brisket. | Pinched in at the crop, narrow heart, or narrow chest floor; Protruding brisket short middle or short coupling, tight ribs and middle giving appearance of "barrel belly"; weak or slack top and hump back. | ||
| 6. Back, ribs and loin | An abundance of natural thickness down top; ribs, well sprung from loin-well arched with good length to give good depth of body and capacity. | |||
| 7. Hindquarter | Tail head smoothly attached; rump long, Level naturally thick, moderate slope from hooks to pins. | Level. | Extremely sloping rump and extremely rounded or "apple-butted". | Short and excessive droop; narrow at pins. |
| 8. Round and Twist | ||||
| a. Bull | Thick and deep, meeting well down to the hocks; long with well developed stifle; muscle extending well into flank. | Shallow round or twist lacking natural thickness; high in the twist. | Double muscling. | |
| b. Female | Moderate to moderately heavy muscled, but most important smoothly muscle; deep and full. | High in the twist lacking natural thickness. | Double muscling. | |
| D. FUNCTION EFFICIENCY | ||||
| 1. Legs | Length proportionate to animal, ample boned and sound joints. | Heavy boned. | Weak pattern, fine boned and excessive set of hocks. | "Post-legged"; absence of any set of hocks. |
| 2. Feet | Squarely set and sound. | Wide set toes indication of corns. | ||
| E. REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY | ||||
| 1. Bulls | ||||
| a. Sheath | Retracted prepuce, 45 degree angle and small orifice. Sheath score 3 or less. | Twisted or turned up. Sheath score of 4 | Non-retractable prepuce. Persistently dangling prepuce, loose, 90 degree, pendulous, and large orifice. Sheath score 5 or more. | |
| b. Testicles | Well developed and proportionate in size - Min. 34 cm diameter take between 11 and 15 months of age. | Min. 32 cm diameter taken between 11 and 15 months of age. | A scrotal circumference of less than a 30 cm taken between 11 and 15 months of age. Underdeveloped; cryptorchid lone descending testicle. | |
| 2. Females | ||||
| a. Udder and Teats | Udder well attached; four teats moderate in size and well placed under the udder. | Pendulous or fleshy udder; large or uneven teats. | Freemartin heifers. | |
| b. Genital Organs | Well developed Adequate growth (for age). | Underdeveloped or small. | ||
| F. SIZE | Frame Score 5.5 to 7.0 @ 11 to 15 months. | Frame Score 5.0 to 7.5. | Frame Score <5 or > 7.5. | Dwarfism. |
| G. MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| 1. Pigment | Red or pink. | Some black slate in nose. | Black nose, around eyes, scrotum, udder, genitals and anal area. | 3 or more areas being black. |
| 2. Hide | Loose, thick, vacular, moveable and pliable. | Tight-hided. | ||
| 3. Skin | Red pigmented. | Some black. | Solid black. | |
| H. ULTRASOUND | An IMF score no lower than 3.0 at 300-470 days or 10-16 months or age. | |||