The Hérens Breed is probably the remainder of a cattle population that formerly lived in the region of the Alps between Austria and Savoy (France). Upon its cranial morphological traits, the Hérens Breed makes part of the cattle with large cranium so called Brachycephalus. The same characteristics can also be found among the cattle of the Neolytikum. The ancestors of the Hérens Breed existed already 3000 years before Jesus Christ. A cranium has been found in a place of archaeological findings in Saint Guérin near the town of Sion.

The Hérens Breed is closely related with the native breeds Castana and Pezzatanera of the Valle d'Aosta in Italy. According to a study conducted by Reuse, the blood type structure of the Hérens Breed is distinctively different than the blood type characteristics of the other swiss breeds.