Editing Texas Longhorn

{{For|the athletics programs of The University of Texas at Austin|Texas Longhorns}}
{{short description|American breed of cattle}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox cattle breed
| name          = Texas Longhorn
| image         = Texas Longhorn cow.jpg
| image_size    =
| image_alt     = A Texas Longhorn cow
| image_caption = 
| status        = {{ubl|[[FAO]] (2007): not at risk{{r|barb|p=145}}|{{nobreak|[[Livestock Conservancy]] (2021): critical{{r|tlc}}}}|[[DAD-IS]] (2022): at risk{{r|dad}}}}
| altname       =
| country       = United States
| distribution  = 
| standard      = 
| use           = 
| weight        =
| maleweight    = 
| femaleweight  = 
| height        =
| maleheight    = 
| femaleheight  = 
| skincolour    =
| coat          = red, white, black, brown
| horn          = horned, large thick horns
| subspecies    = 
| note          = 
}}

[[File:Texas Longhorn Steer Rocksprings.jpg|thumb|A steer]]
The '''Texas Longhorn''' is an American [[list of cattle breeds|breed]] of [[beef cattle]], characterized by its long [[Horn (anatomy)|horns]], which can span more than {{convert|8|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} from tip to tip.{{r|natg}} It derives from cattle brought from the [[Iberian Peninsula]] to the Americas by Spanish [[conquistadors]] from the time of the [[Second Voyage of Columbus|Second Voyage]] of [[Christopher Columbus]] until about 1512.{{r|mctavish}} For hundreds of years the cattle lived a [[semi-feral]] existence on the [[rangelands]]; they have a higher tolerance of heat and drought than most European breeds.{{r|uta}} The coat can be of any color or mix of colors; in some 40% of the cattle it is some shade of red, often a light red.

In the twenty-first century, the Longhorn is considered a part of the [[cultural heritage]] of [[Texas]].{{r|specht|p=343}}

== History ==

[[File:Texas Longhorn in Alvin, Texas.jpg|thumb|A Texas Longhorn in [[Alvin, Texas]]]]
[[File:TexasLonghornCattle.jpg|thumb|A Texas Longhorn in [[Fort Worth, Texas]]]]
The Texas Longhorn derives from cattle brought to the Americas by Spanish [[conquistadors]] from the time of the [[Second Voyage of Columbus|Second Voyage]] of [[Christopher Columbus]] until about 1512.{{r|mctavish}} The first cattle were landed in 1493 on the [[Caribbean]] island of La Isla Española (now known as [[Hispaniola]]) to provide food for the colonists.{{r|jan|p=279}}<ref name=Rouse1977>{{cite book|first=John E. |last=Rouse |year=1977|title=The Criollo: Spanish Cattle in the Americas|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman, Oklahoma}}</ref>

Over the next two centuries, the Spaniards used the cattle in [[Mexico]] and gradually moved them north to accompany their expanding settlements. The Spaniards reached the area that became known as "Texas" near the end of the 17th century. Eventually, some cattle escaped or were turned loose on the [[open range]], where they remained mostly [[feral]] for the next two centuries. Over several generations, descendants of these cattle developed to have high feed- and drought-stress tolerances and other "hardy" characteristics that have given Longhorns their reputation as [[livestock]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Terrence J. |last=Barragy |year=2003 |title=Gathering Texas Gold |isbn=9780961160487 |publisher=Cayo Del Grullo Press |location=Cayo del Grullo, TX |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gatheringtexasgo0000barr }}</ref>{{r|uta}}

[[File:"Horses on the Beach," a horseback-riding operation on Padre Island, Texas, is an incomplete description of the experience, as this photograph attests. Some guests get a short excursion aboard the LCCN2014633476.tif|thumb|Riding a Texas Longhorn on [[Padre Island, Texas]]]]

The Texas Longhorn stock slowly dwindled, but in 1927, the breed was saved from near extinction by enthusiasts from the [[United States Forest Service]]. They collected a small herd of stock to breed on the [[Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]] in [[Lawton, Oklahoma]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Donald E. Worcester|title="Longhorn Cattle," Handbook of Texas Online|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/atl02|publisher=Published by the Texas State Historical Association}}</ref> The breed also received significant attention after a Texas Longhorn named "[[Bevo (mascot)|Bevo]]" was adopted as the mascot of The [[University of Texas at Austin]] in 1917. The animal's image became commonly associated with the school's sports teams, known as the [[Texas Longhorns]]. A few years later, [[J. Frank Dobie]] and others gathered small herds to keep in Texas state parks. Oilman [[Sid W. Richardson]] helped finance the project.{{r|trib}} The Longhorns were cared for largely as curiosities, but the stock's longevity, resistance to disease, and ability to thrive on marginal pastures resulted in a revival of the breed as beef stock and for their link to Texas history.

In 1957, Charles Schreiner III began creating a Longhorn herd on his ranch, the ''Y O'', in [[Mountain Home, Texas]], as a tribute to the ranching legacy of his grandfather, Captain Charles Armand Schreiner, and the Longhorns he ran on his ranches. Schreiner purchased five heifers and one bull calf for $75 each from the [[Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]] near Lawton. In 1964, Schreiner founded the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America. The YO herd were the first cattle registered with the association. To draw attention to the Longhorn and its new association, in 1966, Schreiner organized a [[Cattle drives in the United States|cattle drive]] of Longhorn steers from [[San Antonio]], Texas to [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]], Kansas.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://texoso66.com/2016/12/08/y-o-ranch/ |title=YO Ranch |date=6 December 2016|website=Texas History Notebook |access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref> The drive was promoted as a centennial commemoration of the earlier [[Chisholm Trail]] drives. Schreiner arranged for local members of the [[Quanah, Texas|Quanah]] [[Posse comitatus|sheriff's posse]] to stage a simulated “Indian attack” as the steers crossed the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] at [https://texoso66.com/2016/10/20/doans-crossing/ Doan's Crossing]. The attack was so authentic that the steers stampeded with cowboys in close pursuit. Four hours were needed to reassemble the herd. In 1976, [[Texas Tech University]] in [[Lubbock,_Texas|Lubbock]] persuaded Schreiner to stage a cattle trail drive to celebrate its new [[National Ranching Heritage Center]].<ref>{{cite journal |editor=Dr. Idris R. Taylor Jr. |date=April 1976 |title=Trail drive to Mark opening of Center |department=The International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies |institution=Texas Tech University |url=https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2346/72523 |journal=ICASALS Newsletter |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=5–6 |access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref>

In 1995, the [[Texas Legislature]] designated the Texas Longhorn as the state large mammal.{{r|tsl}} In the 21st century, Texas Longhorns from elite bloodlines can sell for $40,000 or more at auction. The record of $380,000 on March 18, 2017, was for a cow, 3S Danica, and heifer calf at side, during the Legacy XIII sale in [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rightsidesd.com/?p=29562|title=Texas Longhorn Cow Sells For $380,000.00|date=19 March 2017 |website=rightsidesd.com}}</ref>

[[breed registry|Registries]] for the breed include: the [[Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America]], founded in 1964 by the [[Kerr County, Texas|Kerr County]] rancher Charles Schreiner III; the International Texas Longhorn Association; and the Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctlr.org/index.html/ |title=Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry |publisher=Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry |access-date=2013-12-13 |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116003914/http://www.ctlr.org/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The online National Texas Longhorn Museum displays the diversity of horns found in the breed, stories about notable individual cattle of the breed, and a gallery of furniture made from cattle horns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://longhornmuseum.com/|title=The Alan Rogers Texas Longhorn Museum|website=longhornmuseum.com}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==

The Longhorn is genetically close to Iberian cattle breeds such as the [[De Lidia]] and [[Retinta]] of Spain and the [[Alentejana cattle|Alentejana]] and [[Mertolenga cattle|Mertolenga]] of Portugal.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kidd|first=K. K.|display-authors=etal|year=1980|title=Immunogenetic and Population Genetic Analyses of Iberian Cattle|journal=Animal Blood Groups and Biochemical Genetics|volume=11|issue=1|pages=21–38|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2052.1980.tb01489.x|pmid=7396241|url=https://www.texaslonghornconservancy.org/Immunogenetic%20%26%20Population%20Genetics%20of%20Iberian%20Cattle%20-%201980.pdf|archive-date=August 15, 2022|access-date=February 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815222134/https://www.texaslonghornconservancy.org/Immunogenetic%20%26%20Population%20Genetics%20of%20Iberian%20Cattle%20-%201980.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Like other [[Criollo cattle]] of the Americas and many breeds of southern Europe, it is principally of [[taurine (cattle)|taurine]] (European) derivation, but has a small admixture of [[indicine]] genetic heritage; this may be a consequence of gene flow across the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] from cattle of African origin dating to before the time of the Spanish Conquest.{{r|mctavish}}

The horns are in some cases very long. In general, the horns of bulls are of moderate length, while those of [[steer (cattle)|steer]]s may be much longer.{{r|cabi|p=313}} In 2022 the [[Guinness Book of Records]] reported the longest spread of cattle horns (on a living animal) to be: {{cvt|323.7|cm|abbr=on}} for a steer called Poncho Via; {{cvt|265.1|cm|abbr=on}} for a cow named 3S Danica; and {{cvt|262.5|cm|abbr=on}} for a bull named Cowboy Tuff Chex. All three were Texas Longhorns.{{r|gwr}}

Coat color is extremely variable. In some 40% of the cattle it is some shade of red, often a light red; the only shade of red not seen is the deep colour typical of the [[Hereford (cattle)|Hereford]]. The [[finching (cattle)|finching]] pattern is common; when the base color is black it is called {{lang|es|zorillo}}, from the Spanish word for '[[skunk]]'.{{r|cabi|p=313}} Other colors include variations of black, blue, brown, cream, dun, grey, yellow or white, either with or without [[brindle|brindling]] (called {{lang|es|gateada}}, from the Spanish word for 'cat'), speckling or spotting.{{r|cabi|p=313}} Speckled and solid-coloured animals are in roughly equal proportion.{{r|tlc}}

== Use ==

The Longhorn was traditionally reared for [[beef]].{{r|tlc2}} In the 21st century it is considered part of the [[cultural heritage]] of Texas;{{r|specht|p=343}} it is the official large mammal of the state.{{r|tsl}}

It may be kept for [[Conservation movement|conservation]] reasons, or bred for greater horn length.{{r|ts}} It is occasionally used for [[steer riding]].{{r|tsln|fence}}

== References ==
{{reflist|45em|refs=

<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007).[https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{ISBN|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>

<ref name=cabi>Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [https://books.google.com/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ ''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''] (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{isbn|9781780647944}}.</ref>

<ref name=dad>[https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=USA&specie=Cattle&breed=Texas%20Longhorn&lang=en Breed data sheet: Texas Longhorn / United States of America (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2022.</ref>

<ref name=fence>{{cite web |title=Oklahoma couple breeds longhorns for riding |url=https://www.thefencepost.com/news/oklahoma-couple-breed-longhorns-for-riding/ |website=The Fence Post |date=July 15, 2017 |access-date=September 5, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

<ref name=gwr>[https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/search?term=cattle%20horns&page=1&type=record&max=20&partial=_Results& Records: "cattle horns"]. ''Guinness Book of Records''. Guinness World Records. Accessed February 2022.</ref>

<ref name=jan>Janet Vorwald Dohner (2001). ''The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds''. New Haven, Connecticut; London: Yale University Press. {{isbn|0300088809}}.</ref>

<ref name=mctavish>{{cite journal |last1=McTavish |first1=Emily Jane |title=New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=March 25, 2013 |volume=110 |issue=15 |pages=E1398–E1406 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1303367110 |pmid=23530234 |pmc=3625352 |bibcode=2013PNAS..110E1398M |doi-access=free |url= https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/110/15/E1398.full.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name=natg>{{cite journal|last=Siebert|first=Charles|date=July 2011|title=Food Ark|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/cattle-breeds#/6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625102109/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/cattle-breeds#/6|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 2011|journal=National Geographic}}</ref>

<ref name=specht>Joshua Specht (2016). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/24691590 The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Texas Longhorn: An Evolutionary History]. ''Environmental History''. '''21''' (2):343–363. {{doi|10.1093/envhis/emv148}}. {{subscription required}}></ref>

<ref name=tlc>[https://web.archive.org/web/20211019093005/https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/texas-longhorn-cattle Texas Longhorn Cattle (CTLR)]. The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 19 October 2021.</ref>

<ref name=tlc2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20211214162933/https://livestockconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CattleChart2021.pdf Quick Reference Guide to Heritage Cattle]. The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 14 December 2021.</ref>

<ref name=trib>Kate Galbraith (October 12, 2012). [https://www.texastribune.org/2012/10/12/why-texas-longhorns-owe-their-survival-oklahoma/ Symbol of Texas Owes its Survival in Part to Oklahoma]. ''The Texas Tribune''. Accessed May 2023.</ref>

<ref name=ts>{{Cite news|url=https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/a-380000-longhorn-a-look-at-the-never-ending-race-for-the-biggest-horns-in-texas/|title=A $380,000 Longhorn? A Look At The Never-ending Race For The Biggest Horns In Texas|work=Texas Standard|access-date=September 13, 2018}}</ref>

<ref name=tsl>[https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/symbols.html Texas State Symbols]. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Accessed May 2023.</ref>

<ref name=tsln>{{cite web |title=A fresh mount: Bob McCormick breaks longhorn steer to ride for bicentennial parade |url=https://www.tsln.com/news/a-fresh-mount-bob-mccormick-breaks-longhorn-steer-to-ride-for-bicentennial-parade/ |website=Tri-Stock Livestock News |date=September 26, 2017 |access-date=September 5, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

<ref name=uta>Daniel Oppenheimer (March 25, 2013). [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130325160514.htm Decoding the genetic history of the Texas longhorn]. ''ScienceDaily''. University of Texas at Austin. Accessed February 2022.</ref>



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==Further reading==
{{commonscat}}
{{refbegin}}
*Will C. Barnes, "Wichita Forest Will Be Lair of Longhorns", ''The Cattleman,'' April 1926.
*Dan Kilgore, "Texas Cattle Origins", ''The Cattleman,'' January 1983.
*James Westfall Thompson, ''History of Livestock Raising in the United States'', 1607–1860 (Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1942).
*James Frank Dobie, ''The Longhorns'' (Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1980) ({{ISBN|029274627X}}).
*Don Worcester, ''The Texas Longhorn: Relic of the Past, Asset for the Future'' (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1987) ({{ISBN|0890966257}}).
*Neal Barrett, Jr., ''Long Days and Short Nights, A Century of Texas Ranching on the Y O 1880-1980'' (Y O Press, Mountain Home, Texas, 1980)
{{refend}}

{{Cattle breeds of the United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Longhorn (Cattle)}}
[[Category:Symbols of Texas]]
[[Category:Cattle breeds originating in the United States]]