Inspections: How to prepare and what to look for
By Daniel Naude, Martin Joubert, and Sally Blaine
As a registered Ankole breeder you have the responsibility to make sure all your animals are inspected. Approval from an inspector is just as important as submitting DNA and registering an animal. If the animal is not inspected and approved by the inspector or Executive Inspections Committee, that animal cannot be sold as an animal registered with the Ankole Society of South Africa (the Society) on an auction or as a stud animal. Thus, when preparing for an auction, you must make sure all your animals are approved. Part of the rules of the Society is that all animals need to be inspected after they are 12 months old and before they are 36 months old.
How to book an inspection
The Breed Director reviews every kraal list annually to identify animals that need to be inspected. Breeders can book an inspection by liaising with the Breed Director. The Society has approved inspectors in several provinces. The current inspectors are:
- Dr Morné de la Rey
- Jurgen Hendriks
- Martin Joubert
- Daniel Naude
- Erick Jooste
What to expect the day the inspector arrives on your farm
Here are lists of what the inspector will look at and what your responsibilities, as the breeder, are on the day of inspection.
Ankole MUST be placed in a kraal / boma to be inspected. The animal cannot be inspected from a vehicle, through binoculars. The inspection cannot take place at further than 10 meters. This is because the inspector needs to see the animal walk in both directions, and it needs to be inspected and observed from behind. This is to enable the inspector to see the hooves’ placement.
The owner of the herd or farm/stud manager needs to be present at the inspection. This allows the inspector to provide the owner or farm/stud manager with feedback on the outcome of the inspection. This feedback could include concerns that the inspector has that he or she will refer to the Executive Inspections Committee.
The breeder is responsible for covering the cost of the inspector’s travel and time. The breeder will receive an invoice from the inspector for these costs.
What the inspector will look at on the day of inspection
The inspector reviews the entire animal. The inspection will use the following checklist download here:
| Area | Assessment |
| General Appearance | |
| · The animal has a straight top line and a sloping rump. | |
| · The colouring aligns with the range of colours recognized in Ankole cattle (red, brow, roan, black etc.) | |
| Horns | |
| · The horns are ivory to white. | |
| · They are heavy at the base, long and fairly symmetrical. | |
| · All horn shapes are allowed other than those that are genetically deformed. | |
| Head | |
| · The head is medium sized and has its widest point at the base of the horns. | |
| · The head must appear lean and slightly elongated. | |
| · Ears are relatively small and are placed under the horn bases. | |
| · The eyes are placed laterally in the head with eyebrows that do not cover the eyes. The eyes need to be clearly visible from the front. The eyes also need to have good pigment around the eyes. | |
| · The jawbone needs to be strong but not overly prominent. It should not be over or undershot. | |
| · The nose must be straight and well defined. | |
| · The muzzle must be broad, strong and well pigmented. | |
| Neck | |
| · Bulls have a thick, muscular neck with a moderate dewlap. | |
| · Cows have a slender neck with a moderate dewlap. | |
| Hump | |
| · Bulls have a prominent, muscular cervico-thoracic hump on the neck. | |
| · Cows have small humps that are more visible when the animal is in good condition. | |
| Forequarter | |
| · Bulls are more heavily developed in the forequarter than cows. The brisket is full, with sufficient width in the chest floor. It is not too prominent. | |
| · The shoulder blades are broad, deep, with well-developed forearm muscle that links to the hump, withers and ribs. | |
| · Cows have comparatively narrow and well-defined withers. | |
| Middle Piece | |
| · The middle piece is long, deep and wide. | |
| · The back is straight, strong and well-muscled in the loin of bulls. | |
| · The naval is neat and not too big | |
| Hindquarters | |
| · The rump is not very broad in hookbone, thurl and pin bone but moderately long, sloping down from hook to pin bones. | |
| · The pin bones and thurls are widely placed. | |
| · The tail is long and slender and ends with a full tail switch below the hocks. The tail setting is not too prominent. | |
| Legs and Hooves | |
| · The legs are fine boned and dry with correctly place, straight forelegs. | |
| · The front legs are straight, parallel with each other and have good muscling in the forearm. | |
| · The hind legs are perpendicular when seen from behind. From the side they have a slight bend forward below the hock. | |
| · The shank is long and lean. | |
| · The hocks have good depth and good placement. They must have an angle of between 200° and 210°. | |
| · Cannons are moderate in length, small and the pasterns are short. | |
| · Feet are high-heeled, and hooves are well pigmented. The hooves must be straight, strong and reasonably large with uniform dewclaws. | |
| · The animal’s movement must be straight, strong and energetic. | |
| Reproductive Organs | |
| · The testes are well developed, even in size and hang equally. They do not hang too low. | |
| · There is sufficient development of the epididymis. | |
| · The sheath is functional and securely attached. | |
| · The vulva is well developed. | |
| · The udder has four distinctly defined quarters of uniform size. | |
| · The teats are squarely place, medium length and well pigmented. | |
| · The udder is firmly attached at the front and back and is plump. | |
The inspector will complete the visual inspection. The breeder is responsible for reporting any fertility issues for either bulls or cows. They are required to do this as soon as they become aware of the issue with an animal.
Fair processing of the inspected results.
If an inspector has concerns about any of the areas inspected, and this could result in the animal being disqualified, he or she will take photographs and videos of the animal and refer the matter to the Executive Inspections Committee. The Committee will review the photographs and videos and a decision will be made. This decision will be sent, in writing, to the breeder and the Breed Director and the status will be updated on Intergis.
Equally, if an inspector disqualifies an animal and you, as the breeder, wish to appeal this decision you can request that the matter be reviewed by the Executive Inspections Committee. This request must be addressed to the Breed Director who will pass this onto the Executive Inspections Committee. The decision that is made by the Executive Inspections Committee will be communicated to the breeder and the Breed Director who will update the information on Intergis.
Inspections are essential for managing the quality of Ankole in South Africa and for improving our breed. They are also an excellent way to learn more about what to look for when you are breeding and buying animals. Participating in the inspections process will definitely contribute positively to your herd.