Pustertaler Sprinzen

Pustertaler Sprinzen, also called Pustertaler Schecken, are Alpine cattle from the Puster Valley region of South Tyrol and neighboring Austrian areas. Their name refers to splashed or speckled color: a white base with black, red, or brown patches, often with a boldly colored head or sides. Historically they were dual-purpose mountain cattle, giving useful milk while producing well-muscled calves and handling summer pasture on slopes.

Today the breed is kept by small farms, rare-breed breeders, and Alpine livestock programs. Pustertalers can do well on pasture, but mountain cattle still need winter forage, shelter from wet cold, and attention to feet when housed on hard surfaces. Breeding is complicated by small population size and variation between color strains and national registries, so records and unrelated sires matter. Farmers interested in the breed usually value beef ability, maternal function, and regional heritage rather than specialized dairy output.

Colors: Belted, Black, Black and White, Blaze Faced, Blue Roan, Brindle, Brockle Faced, Brown, Brown and White, Dun, Gray, Lineback, Mottled, Red, Red and White, Red Roan, Roan, Silver, Solid Black, Solid Red, Speckled, Spotted, White, White Faced, Yellow