Ankole Inspections: Complete Breeder Guide
By Martin Joubert & Sally Blaine
Introduction
Inspections are essential for maintaining the quality and integrity of the Ankole breed. They are not only a requirement for registration and sale, but also a powerful management tool for improving your herd.
Animals must be inspected between 12 and 36 months of age and approved before being marketed as stud or auction animals.
Understanding What Inspectors Look For
General appearance and breed character
Inspectors first assess whether the animal clearly represents the Ankole breed. This includes coat colour, balance, and overall presence.
Head and horns
The head and horns are key breed identifiers. Correct horn colour, symmetry, and jaw alignment are essential for both breed purity and functionality.
Body structure and capacity
A strong topline, deep middle, and balanced frame indicate good growth potential and reproductive capacity.
Legs, hooves, and movement
Mobility and structural correctness are critical. Animals must walk freely with correct leg alignment and strong hooves.
Reproductive soundness
Inspectors evaluate reproductive organs for functionality. In bulls this will include a review of the testes and sheath. In cows this will include a review of the udder and genitalia.
Breeders must disclose any fertility concerns and provide feedback to the Society if there are fertility impediments in either bulls or cows.
Size and condition
Animals should be appropriate in size and condition for their age, reflecting both genetics and management.
Preparing for an Inspection
You will get the best value from an inspection if you are well prepared. The following steps will support you to be ready when the inspector arrives on your farm:
- Identify the animals that you would like inspected. Put them in a kraal where the inspector can get to within 10 meters of the animal.
- Make sure you or your farm manager are on the farm. Inspections are a very valuable opportunity to learn what to look for in your breeding programme.
- Prepare any relevant paperwork you think will be necessary such as extracts of the 5 Generation Pedigree, proof of DNA and registration of birth forms.
Virtual Inspections
We understand that it is not always possible to get an inspector to your farm to complete inspections. In line with this, the Inspectors allow you to submit good quality photographs and video footage to allow for a virtual inspection.
Your photographs need to show at least the following:
- A clear picture of the animal’s head and mouth with the animal facing the camera directly and from the side. The side photograph needs include a close up of the muzzle.
- A clear picture of their horns from the front and from the side.
- A full body picture, including legs and hooves from the front, back and from both sides.
- A close-up picture of all four hooves.
- A close-up picture of the udder and vagina or testes and sheath of the animal.
In addition to this, you need to send clear video footage where the animal is on a level surface, is no further than 10 meters from you and:
- It walks directly towards you.
- It walks directly away from you.
- It walks past you from both the left and right side.
These photographs and videos must be shared with Lauren James, our Breed Director, who will share them with the inspectors for review and feedback. The benefit of a virtual inspection is that all the inspectors will consider the material send.
How Will I Know the Outcome of My Inspection
You will be given feedback on the animals that are inspected. Specific feedback will be given if an animal does not meet the breed standards. If this is the case, all inspectors will have reviewed the case before a final decision is made. The disqualification codes that will be used are as follows:
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full blood DNA parentage is matched and available | |
| GENERAL | ||
| 2ANK | Age of first calf greater than 60 months | |
| 3ANK | ICP not exceeding 760 days | |
| 4ANK | Any hereditary defect | |
| TYPE/ COLOR/ HAIR | ||
| 5ANK | Frizzy or woolly summer coat | |
| 6ANK | Any signs of impurity | |
| 7ANK | Not phenotypically Ankole | |
| HEAD AND HORNS | ||
| 8ANK | Undershot, overshot, wry muzzle | |
| 9ANK | Poor eyes or eye brows | |
| 10ANK | Permanent watery discharge from eyes | |
| 11ANK | Horns not ivory to white, except Black Ankole | |
| 12ANK | All horns shapes allowed except genetically deformed horns | |
| LEGS/ HOOVES | ||
| 13ANK | Hoof size, abnormal hooves | |
| 14ANK | Patela fixation | |
| 15ANK | Excessively course boned | |
| 16ANK | Sickle or cow hocks | |
| 17ANK | Bandy, X legged or pigeon toed | |
| 18ANK | Upright or sagging pasterns | |
| 19ANK | Unnatural gait | |
| BACK TO TAIL | ||
| 20ANK | Hollow, sway, hunch or roach back | |
| 21ANK | Laterally twisted spine | |
| 22ANK | Congenital kink in upper third of tail | |
| 23ANK | Devils grip | |
| MUSCLING/ CONSTITUTION | ||
| 24ANK | Excessive muscling/ double muscling | |
| 25ANK | Weak constitution | |
| SCROTUM/ SHEATH + UDDER | ||
| 26ANK | Hypoplasia or scrotal defects | |
| 27ANK | Prolapse or angle of sheath more than 45 degrees to underline | |
| 28ANK | Under developed female genitals or udders | |
| 29ANK | Poor udder, teat development or placement | |
| SIZE | ||
| 30ANK | Underweight for age | |
| POSITIVE TRAIT CODES | ||
| 31ANK | Masculinity | |
| 32ANK | Constitution | |
| 33ANK | Hair and coat | |
| 34ANK | Balance | |
| 35ANK | Hooves | |
| 36ANK | Horns | |
| 37ANK | Muscling/ beef | |
Costs of Inspections
Breeders are expected to cover the costs of an inspection. The costs fall into different categories:
- Travel costs per km
- A day fee for the Inspector
- A per animal inspection fee.
The Breed Director will provide you with these costs when you book your inspection. In the case of a virtual inspection, there will obviously be no travel costs included.
Wrapping Up
Finally, inspections are not just about passing. They are about building a better herd through consistent, informed selection. Use this time with an inspector to learn more about what to look for, to identify your strongest and weakest traits in animals and to inform how you breed to correct or use these traits.