Determining the length of horn at a glance can sometimes be deceiving, so always ask for accurate and up-to-date measurements. It is easy to focus on the bull when assessing Texas Longhorns, but the quality of a Texas Longhorn cow can be equally critical.
After all, the Texas Longhorn cows you choose will be the foundation of your herd, and their genetics will directly influence the size of the horns you can expect in their offspring. As you look at Texas Longhorn cows for sale and make your purchasing decisions, keep in mind that the horn growth varies between cows and bulls. Some Texas Longhorn cows may have an emphasis on tip to tip growth while others will carry more of a total horn influence.
Also be aware that some family lines will gain horn growth slower and not really hit their good growth period until ages two to three. A cow will grow horn her whole life, but she will gain most of it in her first six to seven years.
Many top breeding programs, including Star Creek Ranch, have really focused on increasing base in their respective programs. Just as tip to tip can be increased by breeding longer-horned individuals to longer horned, base can also be increased by focusing on that trait. Starbase Commander , premier herd sire at Star Creek Ranch, is famous from adding base to the horns of his offspring. Typically a Texas Longhorn bull will have more base to his horns than a cow will have to her horns.
A few years later, J. Frank Dobie and others gathered small herds to keep in Texas state parks. They were cared for largely as curiosities, but the stock's longevity, resistance to disease and ability to thrive on marginal pastures quickly revived the breed as beef stock. Today, the breed is still used as a beef stock, though many Texas ranchers keep herds purely because of their link to Texas history.
In other parts of North America this breed is used for much more. Longhorn cattle have a strong survival instinct and can find food and shelter during times of rough weather. Longhorn calves are very tough and can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds. Longhorn cattle can breed for a long time, well into their teens. In October , a 6-year-old longhorn from Rocksprings named Bucklehead unofficially broke the Guinness World Record for the longest horn span on a steer ever with a staggering 11 feet 1.
The horns of most historically correct longhorns, however, are much shorter. Steers castrated males grow horns around 5 to 7 feet long. Horn shapes vary, though Struthoff noted the three most common on Texas longhorns are horns that point up at the ends like goalposts, simple lateral horns and corkscrew horns that have a twist. Like fashion, certain horn types have their day in the sun with breeders.
Texas longhorns actually are decendants of cattle the Spanish brought to the New World in the late 17th century. A Texas treasure from the Spanish. A Western writer saved the longhorn from decline.
Sales of longhorn beef and hides helped Texas get back on its boots after the Civil War. But by the early s, European cattle became more popular and the longhorn lost its luster. Author and folklorist J. Frank Dobie helped save the Texas longhorn from extinction in the early s. As longhorns declined in the s, Western writer and folklorist J. Frank Dobie helped organize a herd to preserve what he considered an iconic fixture of Texas history.
The herd was donated to the Texas Parks Board in as a designated state herd. In , after several moves around the state, the Texas Parks Board settled on Fort Griffin as the permanent home of the official herd.
Now bred mostly for competition. The Texas Longhorn inhabits grasslands. Longhorn cattle have a strong survival instinct and can find food and shelter during times of rough weather. Longhorn calves are very tough and can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds.
Longhorn cattle can breed for a long time, well into their teens.
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