General Character and Appearance
of Miniature Harlequin Sheep

Harlequin sheep are known for easy handling and docile dispositions. They are nurturing mothers and often have multiple lambs. Their small size and easy keeping metabolism require less acreage per animal compared to other breeds.

HEAD
The characteristics of the head give each breed its individuality & uniqueness. The Miniature Harlequin is naturally polled. The head is medium length and moderately broad, but not so broad to be a birthing obstruction, and with medium length.

MUZZLE & FACE
The muzzle and face should be moderate in width to ensure efficient grazing and moderate in length, straight to slightly dished but not Roman.

EARS
Ears are of medium thickness, moderate in length, level to the poll, proportionate to the head and preferably covered with wool.
Short rough hair is acceptable, slick ears are discriminated against. Black or brown-specked ear skin is common.

EYES
Eyes should large, bright, brown to yellow or even blue.

INCISOR TEETH
Incisor teeth should meet the dental pad.

NECK
Neck, wide at the base and laid well into the shoulders, with skin free of wrinkles.

CHEST
Wide and deep.

SIZE
Measurements are at the shoulder and perpendicular to the ground on shorn sheep.
Harlequin Sheep should be under 24" tall at shoulder

COLORS
Harlequins are known for varying patterns of black and white spots as lambs maturing to cocoa brown, shades of white, gray and black.

Wool

Wool is of medium character. Micron count ranges from 25- 35 microns and yearly staple length from 3”- 6”. The fiber is highly crimped. Some fleeces are open with luster and individual locks while others have a closed fleece that is shorter with less luster and a disorganized crimp structure. The wool should be dense and consistent from the shoulder to the hip and as far back on the leg as possible. Fleeces are 4-8 lbs per year. Fleeces should not part along the back and kemp should not be present. Quilting may be present and is not considered a fault. Harlequins are single coated. Wool is spotted in many cases but single color sheep aare also found and not to be faulted.

Forequarters: Shoulders, Back and Loin

SHOULDERS
Shoulders should be well muscled, well laid into the ribs and level with the back. The width at the shoulders should be less than the width at the hips to facilitate easy lambing.

LOIN
The LOIN should be long, wide and thick.

RIBS
The ribs should be deep and wide, thick through the heart girth & well sprung

Hindquarters: Feet and Legs

Short to Medium length, straight legs should stand squarely at each corner. Rear legs should stand wide but squarely under the sheep with some angulations of the hocks and slight angulations of the pasterns.

RUMP
The rump should be wide and long

TAIL
Large and set almost level with chin.

THIGHS
Thighs should show medium muscling.

HOOVES
Hooves come in a variety of colors.

Characteristics NOT Accepted in the Harlequin Breed

Horns (attached to the skull). Scurs are accepted for breeding animals and in the show ring as they are a genetic anomaly that cannot be predicted and therefore, cannot be eliminated completely.
One or both of the testicles not descended
Incisor teeth not meeting dental pad
Inverted eyelids
Scrotal rupture

Scurs vs Horns in Sheep: What You Need to Know

Introduction

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about scurs in sheep. These small, horn-like growths can appear on polled sheep breeds, but what exactly are they? Let’s explore the differences between scurs and true horns, their genetics, and their significance.

Scurs: The Genetic Anomaly

Definition and Characteristics

Scurs are small, rounded portions of horn tissue that are not firmly attached to the skull.
Unlike true horns, scurs grow from the skin and lack blood vessels and nerves.
They can resemble scab-like growths or miniature horns.

Genetics of Scurs

Scurs are caused by a genetic mutation.
Example: In bulls, the gene for scurs is dominant (SS), while in females, it must be homozygous (SS).
Scurs can only be seen in polled cattle because horned cattle hide the scurred gene. We can't be certain this holds true for sheep because they haven't been studied as much as cattle.

True Horns: The Difference

Horns

Attached to the bone of the cranium.
Have blood vessels and nerves.
Confirmed through cranial scans.
Controlled by three genes: P (dominant for polled), p (sex-linked for non-polled), and p’ (produces horns in both ewes and rams).

Rare Occurence

Scurs are exceptionally rare.
The focus of research has primarily been on horns, not scurs.

Breeding Considerations

Scurs are allowed in some sheep breeds (e.g., Harlequin) and are not disqualifying in the show ring.
Breeders can be certain that their stock won’t consistently produce scurs.
Keeping an intact ram with scurs poses no real downside, especially since scurs rarely develop into full horns.
Financially penalizing breeders for scurs is unfair, as these animals remain useful to the growth and future of the Harlequin breed.

HSSR Stance on Scurs

The only science available currently is the likelihood of horns, not scurs – that’s how rare they are. Considering horns (and to a lesser extent scurs) have been scientifically studied with no clear predictability or identified genetic markers, it is of no concern in the giant scheme of things. In my personal observation over a fourteen year breeder of both Babydoll Southdown and Harlequin sheep, scurs are very rare.

I once had a Babydoll ram born on my farm. He was beautiful and destined to be the star ram of the flock. At about 6 months, he seemed to have "scurs". He grew, they grew - to about 3 inches. We took him to the vet who confirmed they were indeed by 9 months HORNS. They were attached to his skull firmly. He was neutered and the horns were removed surgically.

Both of his parents had produced many other polled lambs - all without scurs. He just happened to draw the unlucky genetic card. It was not the fault of the breeders of his dam or sire - it was fate.

I DID NOT breed my Babydoll ram with horns, and I have bred rams with scurs that did not show up in their offspring.

Trying to hold breeders of ANY naturally polled sheep breeds financially liable for scurs is unfair as the animal is as useful as any other. To wether a good example of everything else that makes a Harlequin just because of scurs is a waste of precious stock we need,

The HSSR went down a similar rabbit hole when some members felt only buying and breeding for high level generations was the way to go. It ultimately would have proven to be the death of the Harlequin breed if not for our newly established, well defined out crossing program.

Those discussions among committed Harlequin breeders has changed the school of thought for several. We all now realize that we need a wider genetic pool to grow from. Newer breeds have their own set of challenges – and not everything is cookie-cutter.

I feel perpetuating a myth regarding scurs as being unacceptable is irresponsible as a registry member and contrary to the goals of being truthful and supportive of our breed and one another. If any of our current members promotes this thought, they should sell their Harlequins and own what they may consider to be a breed that’s more predictable (but there aren’t any).

- Jill Christopher

General Character and Appearance of Miniature Harlequin Sheep