Shetland Markings

Ruby - Grey Smirslet Ewe

Ruby, Julie Guilette’s grey smirslet

One of the unusual aspects of Shetland Sheep is the broad variety of colors and markings found in the breed. The names used to describe markings are the original ones used by the Shetland Islanders to describe their sheep.

  • Bersugget – irregular patches of different colors; variegated.
  • Bielset – having a complete circular band of different color around neck.
  • Bioget – with white back and darker sides and belly, or conversely,
  • Blaeget – having a lighter shade on the outer part of the wool fiber, especially in moorit and dark brown sheep.
  • Blaget – white with irregular dark patches resembling ground partly snow covered.
  • Blettet – with white spots on nose and top of head.
  • Bleset – dark colored with white stripe down the forehead, or conversely,
  • Brandet – having stripes of another color across body.
  • Bronget – dark colored with light-colored breast, or conversely,
  • Flecket – white with large black or brown patches (not as well defined as in Jacob sheep).
  • Fronet – black-spotted with white head and black spots around eyes.
  • Gulmoget – having light under parts with dark-colored body; opposite of katmoget.
  • Ilget – white with spots of a different color (usually grey or black).
  • Iset – dark colored with many white fibres giving bluish hue from a distance.
  • Katmoget – having a light colored body with dark belly and legs, and moget facial markings.
  • Katmollet – having light-colored nose and jaws.
  • Kraiget – having neck of different color from rest of body.
  • Kranset – dark colored with white around eyes and neck.
  • Krunet – dark colored with white patch on top of head.
  • Marlit – various shades of different colors, mottled.
  • Moget – characteristic dark and light patches around mouth, eyes, and ears.
  • Mirkface – white with dark patches on face.
  • Mullit – white with dark nose and jaws, or conversely,
  • Sholmet – of any color, other than white, with a white face.
  • Skeget – stripes of different colors on sides.
  • Smirslet – dark colored with white around the mouth, head or neck
  • Sokket – with legs of a different color from that of the body.
  • Sponget – dark colored with small white spots, or conversely,
  • Snaelit – light-colored with snow-white face.
  • Yuglet – having color around eyes different from remainder of body.

For examples not illustrated here, please consult “Markings in Shetland Sheep” by Sue Russo (available from the NASSA Store).

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