EARS:
Ears should be parallel to the ground or at slightly higher angles. A very slight angle below parallel to the
ground is noticeable at times; however, the ears should become parallel or higher when on alert.

While at birth, lambs may display droopy ears, especially those who are part of a multiple birth; however,
the ear(s) should straighten up within a few days. Otherwise, ears must not droop enough to be
considered floppy. Such ears would tend to indicate cross-breeding in the background of the sheep.  
Naturally occurring (not due to injury or other difficulties) droopy ears are a disqualification for registration.

Ears generally should come to a slight point at the tip and not be completely rounded in shape. Elf ears
(ears with external cartilage which is generally 1/2 inch to 3 inches in length and exhibiting a more v-
shaped ear) and Gopher ears (ears without visible external cartilage or with less than 1/2 inch) are
acceptable. Natural ears may vary in length but are generally in the range of 3 - 4 inches. Abbreviations
used within the registry are as such: E indicating Elf Ears, G indicating Gopher Ears, and N indicating
Natural Ears.

EYES:
Eyes should be bright and alert and must be free from genetic eyelid defects such as Entropion.

The colors of the eyes vary from dark brown, golden brown to amber with some blue eyes appearing in
sheep with Jacob bloodlines.






INCISOR TEETH:
Incisor teeth should meet the dental pad. A severe and distinct space between the incisor teeth and the
dental pad is a disqualification.

Sheep should not have an extreme overbite (parrot mouth) or underbite (monkey jaw).











CLICK HERE to learn how to estimate the age of your sheep by looking at the teeth!


NECK:
Neck should continue from the head and gradually lead into the shoulders and be gracefully held when
sheep are alert.

A ewe’s neck will be graceful and proportional in size based on the ewe‘s overall frame.

A ram’s neck will be thicker and more muscular than a ewe‘s neck in appearance and to the touch.
During the Fall or cooler weather, rams may display an increase in hair and undercoat growth around the
neck area which will make the neck look much larger.

MANE:
Mature rams will display a mane in the winter. Some rams will shed the mane completely in the summer
while others will retain the mane. Some ewes may also have a short mane.

A ram’s mane may be varied in length from short to long, some even almost touching the ground when in
full winter coat. Some manes may be much shorter and hang just a couple of inches below the bottom
line of the chest. A ram with no mane at any time is a fault and is discriminated against.

SHOULDERS AND WITHERS:
The shoulders should be developed and muscled proportionally to the size of the sheep. They should
flow into the ribs (well laid into the ribs).

The withers (area between the shoulder blades along the top line) may be elevated with rams exhibiting a
more pronounced and higher elevated wither. Some sheep may have a completely straight top-lines and
no elevation.

CHEST:
The width of the chest of most Painted Desert Sheep will be narrow to moderate with a more athletic look
- proportional to the size of the sheep.

The width of the front of the sheep should not be greater than the width of the back of the sheep to
facilitate lambing.

BACK:
Continuing after a smooth transition from straight or elevated withers, the back should be strong, level
and relatively smooth. The Back may tend in width to look lean, sleek, and athletic.
The back is proportioned to the height of the sheep and is generally not longer than the height.

RIBS AND ABDOMEN:
Ribs should be well sprung. Abdomen should allow for multiple births and be proportional for smaller
sized ewes; however, Mouflon sheep and high content Mouflon ewes are primarily shaped and geared
toward single births.

BOTTOM LINE:
The bottom line should not be tucked in at the foreflank nor the rearflank.

LEGS:
The Legs should be sound and proportioned to size of individual sheep as sheep represented by
UHHSA, Inc., may vary greatly in size. Sheep will have long athletic legs, usually longer than body height
from bottom line to top line.

Rams will generally have thicker legs then ewes.

Legs should have a conformationally correct appearance. Front legs should not be knock kneed,
bowlegged, buck-kneed or calf kneed. Rear Legs should not be cow hocked, sickle hocked or post
legged. Lower Legs on both front and rear legs should not toe in (angle inward/pigeon toed) or toe out
(angle outward/splayfooted) too much. Pasterns should be strong and correct.








































A nice four square (though with narrow bodies of some sheep it is more rectangular) stance is desired
with legs standing nicely inline with the body of the sheep.

RUMP:
Continuing from the back, the rump should exhibit a gradually angled slope to the dock. Size and
muscling of rump are proportional to the size of the overall sheep.

THIGH:
The Thigh should be well developed in proportion to the size of the sheep. Painted Desert Sheep may not
display the depth and heavy muscling of some sheep breeds developed purely for fast gain and high
weights (meat) at an early age.

TWIST:
The twist is the junction where the insides of the thighs meet. To compare sheep as far as meat
capability, the measurement of the depth of the twist may be taken. To measure the depth of the twist, one
can place hands at the top of the tail and at the crotch. This measurement assists especially in judging of
pure meat sheep breeds and shows the depth of muscling in this area.

The Painted Desert Sheep tend toward the depth of the twist being minimal to moderately deep. The
Twist should be muscled proportional to the size and frame of the individual sheep.

UDDER:
A ewe’s udder should be well proportioned and relatively symmetrical and have only two teats.  A ewe
with more than two teats is discriminated against. The teats should be free of obvious defects affecting
function.

SCROTUM:
Both Testicles should be uniform and symmetrical, free of obvious deformities.  Testicles should be well
sized and the scrotum itself should also be free of obvious deformities.



















TAIL:
Tail lengths vary.  Shorter tails are preferred.  Tails should not be “round” and should be more “flat“.         

A tail that is reaching to the hocks is discriminated against.  A tail past the hocks is a disqualification.




















HOOF:
Hooves should be well formed and kept free of deformities and disease.

Painted Desert Sheep hooves may be white/cream, black, or variegated in color (both colors or variances
of each of them).

















HORNS:
All rams must grow and display horns, however, both polled (hornless) and horned ewes are acceptable
as are ewes with scurs. Some breeders prefer not to have scurs on their sheep due to scurs being easily
knocked off and bleeding that could occur.

Rams with scurs are not eligible for registration. To be registered, ram lambs out of unregistered parents
will need to exhibit horns in submitted registration photographs.

HORN DISTANCE FROM FACE:
In general, wide horns (horns with plenty of room from the face) are preferred over horns that may grow
close to the face and eventually touch the face. Some flock owners and breeders prefer horns which are a
little closer to face (more heart shaped) or have tight curls while other flock owners prefer horns which
have much wider areas between the face and the horns or less tight curls (horns almost sticking straight
out).

Filing or training of the horns to prevent horns from touching the face is acceptable and will not prevent
the ram from being registered. However, such activities should always be disclosed in a honest manner
to potential customers.

HORN SHAPE AND TYPE OF HORNS:
Horns can be of varying shapes except for Mouflon Sheep which will display Heart Shaped horns. Some
may be wider than others at the “tips“.




































HORN LENGTH
A mature ram’s horn lengths vary based on actual age, individual ram (genetics), areas of the country
(environment and weather), nutrition and health. Growth rate (rate at which the horns grow) is also
dependent upon some of the above factors. Horns generally slow down during late winter/early spring
unless fed to overcome the slowdown; however, the average overall growth rate for horns for young rams
is 1 inch per month for the first two years. Some rams may seem to get a good start with quick growing
horns while others horns grow slower but then catch up as the ram matures.

Mature rams usually display 20 - 29 inch length horns to measurements in the 30 - 39 range. Horns
generally turn outward. Bases on mature rams generally run 8 to 9 inches in circumference. Ten inches
in circumference of the base of mature rams’ horns also can be found. Eleven inches in basal
circumference (base measurements) for each horn is exceptional.

Some breeders will prefer larger base measurements as the horns grow out from the bases and with
larger base measurements, the belief is, the better future opportunity for growth exists.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MEASURE AND SCORE YOUR RAM!

HORN COLOR:
While shapes and lengths of the sheep breeds represented by UHHSA, Inc., are similar, certain breeds
prefer certain colors of horns. For the Painted Desert Sheep, horns may be white, black/dark, or
variegated (both colors or variances of each, striped horns). As rams age, darker colored and variegated
horns may become more washed out in appearance.

















SIZE:
The average height of the Painted Desert Sheep for the ewes is 20 - 25 inches at the withers and 21 - 30
inches at the withers for rams.  Individual sheep may be outside of the range and there is no fault or
disqualification for above or below average heights.

The Painted Desert Sheep is generally smaller than the Texas Dall Sheep and the Black Hawaiian Sheep
which are also represented by the United Horned Hair Sheep Association, Inc.  

WEIGHT:
The weight of the sheep varies and individual sheep may weigh outside the range.  

Ewes may weigh 60 - 150 lbs with an average of 65 - 85 lbs.  Rams generally weigh from 75 - 200
pounds with an average of 75 -100 lbs.

BACKGROUND/HERITAGE:
Painted Desert Sheep are a naturally shedding, spotted hair sheep with Mouflon Sheep influence in
ancestry. All rams must have horns, and the ewes are allowed to have horns although most ewes are
polled. Rams must not exhibit scurs instead of horns, while ewes with scurs are acceptable.

The Sheep should not contain, to the best knowledge of the owner, any polled blood or other types of
polled bloodlines, including but not limited to Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix sheep breeds. Horned
Ancestry bloodlines accepted are Black Hawaiian, Texas Dall, Desert Sand, American Blackbelly,
Corsican, Mouflon, Horned Rambouliet, Merino, Navajo Churro, or Jacob sheep breeds.

While the original crosses occurred several decades ago, some breeders may wish to create new
bloodlines using one or more of the parent wool breeds. To be registered, Painted Desert sheep must
consist of 1/8th or less of parent wool breeds and meet all other breed standards.

Painted Desert Sheep which are directly bred from wool lines and include only Horned Rambouilet,
Merino, Navajo Churro, or Jacob wool sheep breeds, must completely shed and additional pictures
showing the completely shed sheep may be required for registration if the picture submitted does not
clearly show the sheep shedding or having shed.

Information about any known background of the ancestral breeds should be included in pedigrees with
their percentages of the breeds noted to assist breeders in choosing bloodlines. If a sheep is
unregistered, the animal should be clearly labeled as unregistered. This information should include any
known wool breeds in the bloodlines.

TRAITS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION:
  • Rams must have horns
  • At least 2 colors with a separately distinguishable area of white which shows on registration
    photos. United Horned Hair Sheep Association, Inc., reserves the right to request additional
    photos showing horns, coat or other attributes of the sheep for which registration or recording is
    requested.
  • Solid colored and sheep without separately distinguishable area of white which shows on
    registration photos may be RECORDED if both parents are registered Painted Desert Sheep
  • Known background of only Painted Desert, Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian, Desert Sand, Mouflon,
    Corsican Sheep and wool parent breeds of Horned Rambouilet, Merino, Jacob, and Navajo Churro
  • 1/8th or less of wool parent breeds
  • Sheep at maturity normally exhibiting shedding ability

TRAITS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST (considered a fault):
  • Rams’ horns which touch the face at maturity
  • For multi horned animals - fused horns
  • Extra Teats on ewes
  • Slight under or over bite, with teeth just barely touching the edge of the dental pad
  • Sheep which do not shed out completely at maturity on a general basis
  • Mature rams with no mane at any time
  • Tails reaching to the hocks


DISQUALIFICATIONS:
  • Sheep with known recent polled bloodlines
  • Rams which are polled or have scurs at maturity
  • Tails past the hocks
  • Docked tails
  • Sheep with more than 1/8th known wool breeding from the parent breeds - Horned Rambouliet,
    Merino, Navajo Churro, or Jacob
  • Sheep with any known wool breeding from any non-parent wool breed
  • Hermaphroditism
  • One or both testicles not descended
  • Severe under or over bite, with distinct space between teeth and edge of dental pad
  • Evidence of cross breeding shown by physical appearance of breeds which are not included in
    the history or background of Painted Desert Sheep such as Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorper, Katahdin,
    St Croix, etc.
  • Entropion (inverted eye lids) or other genetic eyelid defects
  • Naturally occurring droopy or floppy ears on adults

NOTES:
Sheep with Disqualifying traits are not eligible for registration and will be denied registration. Excessive
Discriminating traits of an individual sheep may render that sheep ineligible for registration if, at the
inspectors and board of directors discretion, such traits seriously challenge the breed identity.


United Horned Hair Sheep Association, Inc.
PAGE 1 Contains:
General Appearance; Head; Nose; Coat including Colors, Patterns and items
affecting color


PAGE 2 Contains:
Ears; Eyes; Incisor Teeth; Neck; Shoulders and Withers; Chest; Back; Ribs and
Abdomen; Bottom Line; Legs; Rump; Thigh; Twist; Udder; Scrotum; Tail; Hoof;
Horns including Distance from Face, Horn Shape, Horn Length, and Horn Color;
Size; Weight; Background and Heritage; Traits Required for Registration; Traits
Discriminated Against; Disqualifications
THIS website is copyright May 2009 by United Horned Hair Sheep Association, Inc.  
Active Members of UHHSA are permitted to use information on their website to help in
ethical and honest promotion and education about the breeds represented.  However,
a link to this website should be provided.

Pictures are copyrighted by owners of the sheep pictured and permission will need to
be sought to use the pictures.
Over all directional shape of horn growth
    Supracervical Horns (abbreviated SH)
    (Heart Shaped)

    Homonymous Horns (abbreviated HH)
    (spiraling out)

Number of Horns
Polycerate/Multiple Horns (abbreviated MH)
(multiple horns - 3, 4, +)

Actual shape of individual horns
Webbed Horns
    Abbreviated SW for Supracervical shape, webbed horns
    Abbreviated HW for Homonymous shape, webbed horns
    Abbreviated WH for horns which do not show overall shape of horn growth yet but do
    show they are webbed

Round Horns
Horns are more round in circumference.  This is the most common actual horn shape.

Ewes' Horns
Ewes’ horns really do not take on shapes as the rams’ horns. They sometimes can be curved
outward or backward. To indicate Horned Ewes in the registry, HE is the abbreviation used.
Correct
Overbite
Underbite
Back Legs - Rear View
Correct
Cow-Hocked
Bowlegged
Back Legs - Side View
Postlegged
Sickle-Hocked
Correct
Gopher Ear Length
Normal Ear Length
Back Legs - Rear View
Back Legs - Rear View
Toes angled
outward
Splayfooted
Front Legs - Side View
Calf
Kneed
Buck
Kneed
Correct
Toes angled
inward
Pigeon Toed
Knock Kneed
Bowlegged
Front Legs - Front View
Correct
Weak
Pasterns
Tail Lengths
Tails to the
hocks are
acceptable but
considered a
fault
Tails with these lengths are Correct
Tails past the
hocks are not
acceptable and
is a
Disqualification
from registration
White/Cream
colored hooves
Black/Dark
colored hooves
Variegated
Hooves
Black/Dark
colored hooves
with light colored
stripes or areas of
color
Variegated
Hooves
White/Cream
colored hooves
with black stripes
or areas of color
Elf Ear Length
PAINTED DESERT SHEEP BREED STANDARDS
AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
PAGE 2
Black Horns
Painted Desert Ram
White Horns
Mature Painted Desert Ram
Variegated Horns
Yearling Painted Desert Ram
1 1/2 Year Old Horned Ewe
Mature Horned Ewe
Polycerate Horns
(Multiple Horns)
Above are fused horns
below the ram has 4 distinct
horns at age 13 months. Far
below,  the ram lamb has 4
distinct horns
Webbed Horns
Homonymous
HW
Measuring depth of the
twist:  Hand Placement is
indicated by the horizontal
red lines.  The depth is
the vertcal blue line
Supracervical Horns
SH
Homonymous Horns
HH
Horns which spiral out
resembles a corkscrew when
viewed from the side
Ears will generally be at parallel
to the ground (pictured above)
or above for these sheep.
Sheep which naturally have
ears below parallel to the
ground are disqualified from
registration
CORRECT
Both Testicles Normal
and even
DISQUALIFICATION
Both testicles did not descend
Bilateral Cryptorchidism
DISQUALIFICATION
One testicle did not
descend
Unilateral Cryptorchidism
FAULT
Both testicles small
sized but still
functioning properly
FAULT
One testicle smaller
than the other
Weak Pasterns
Right Front Leg
FAULT
Variegated Hoof
The front of the toe is white
and the back is black