British Alpine

Breed Standard 

General Appearance
Tall and graceful with smoothly blended body exhibiting pronounced double dairy wedge.  Fine but not inclined to weakness.   Showing femininity in does and masculinity in bucks.

Head
Head long.  Facial line dished or straight.  Polled or neatly disbudded.  Eyes set well apart, full and bright.  Ears erect and pointing slightly forward.  Muzzle broad and strong..

Neck
Does long and fine, blending smoothly into shoulders with or without tassels.  Bucks fine and strong.

Backline
Strong, straight and horizontal or rising slightly to hips.

Forequarters
Lean high withers set well into shoulders which should blend firmly into body.  Chest wide and deep in bucks showing medium width and depth in does.

Body
Long deep and wedge shaped.  Proportionate to height.  Ribs well sprung.

Hindquarters
Moderate slope from hips to tail and slightly more slope acceptable when backline rising to the hips.  Good width between hips and thurls.  Rump long and flat.  Pinbones wide and prominent.

Legs
Forelegs straight and parallel viewed from front and side.  Hindlegs strong and parallel viewed from the rear.  Hocks slightly bent when seen from the side.  Hocks well apart. Pasterns fairly short and strong.  Hooves sound and well shaped.

Udder
Showing good capacity and shape.  Attached over a wide area.  High and broad at rear.  Strong at sides.  Blending into the abdomen.  Floor of udder slightly cleft.  Softly textured.  Skin colour dark with black pigmentation.

Teats
Of adequate size for ease of milking.  Well attached at lowest point of udder.  Distinct from udder.  Set well apart.  Pointing down and slightly forward.

Rudimentary teats
(Bucks) Two.  Set wide apart.  Slightly to the fore and sides of the scrotum.  Of good size but not overdeveloped.

Testicles
Well developed.  Evenly balanced.  Scrotum not unduly divided.  Carrying two testicles.

Height
(At withers at maturity) Does 82cm.  Bucks 95cm.

Coat
Short, fine and glossy.  May have a fine grey undercoat.  Bucks may have a longer coat..

Colour
Coat black with the following “white” Swiss markings: facial stripes from above eyes to a white muzzle; around the edges and tips of ears; legs from the knees and hocks down insides of legs to trunk; on rump and under the base of tail.  Facial stripes may fade on maturing bucks.  Flanks may become grey with age.  Skin dark (may be lighter under Swiss markings)

Differing from ideal
Horns.  Slightly raised bridge to nose.  White ears.  Uneven tassels.  Indistinct facial marks.  White hairs around cheeks and forehead.  White hairs on and around the base of the tassel or white tassels and small white patches on neck in place of tassels.  Off white or cream markings instead of white.  Colour tending to greyness at base of ears, throat or on the neck.  Coat less intense black.  Longer fringe along back and down the quarters..

Faults
Lack of dairy quality.  Lack of milking capacity.  Lack of masculinity in bucks.  Size differing substantially from the ideal.  Uneven gait.  Low set ears.  Roach or sway back.  Weak or narrow chest.  Shallow body.  Steeply sloping rump.  Close hocks.  Dropped pasterns.  Poor feet.  Splayed toes.  Fleshly, pendulous or unduly divided udder.  Pocket in udder.  Small, thin, large, bulbous, ill-defined or unbalanced teats. Divided, uneven or unduly pendulous scrotum.  Excessively raised bridge to nose.  Rusty black coat colouring.  Small white spots on body  (no larger than 30mm in diameter).

Disqualification
Wry face.  Obviously overshot or undershot lower jaw.  Pendulous ears.  Double or supernumerary teats.  Supernumerary orifices.  Undescended testicles in bucks or one testicle only.  Lack of Swiss markings (except as specified).  White patches on barrel or other than specified.  White or cream belly.  Pink skinned body or udder.  Intersex.