Monday, September 13, 2004

The Cattle

The Livestock of the Western Trail

The Longhorn:

The Texas Longhorn, also known as the Spanish cattle were an integral part of the old trail drives. Had it not been for this particular breed of cow, then it is likely that no cattle drives would have ever existed. It was indeed, their hardiness that not only allowed them to proliferate but also caused them to become a part of the cowboy culture of the Western Trail.

Please note that even the Handbook of Texas Online disagrees with some of the material presented here regarding whether the Texas Long Horn is a pure breed or not.

Let's take moment out of our trek Northward and investigate what we know about this special breed of animal.

Interview with Fayette Yates, an extraordinary longhorn breeder:
Mr. Yates is one of the last four true Texas Longhorn breeders who grew up on a ranch. He is third generation livestock breeder who has specialized in Longhorn or Spanish cattle. His herd undoubtably has some of the purest Longhorn blood of any herd today. His cattle have sired much of the Longhorn herds at both the Texas State Park system and the Wichita Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. NOTICE: Some of the language is a bit colorful but it is a great interview.



Interview with Mr Frank Sharp: Mr. Sharp is also an expert on the history of Spanish Cattle or Texas Longhorn. He has a keen understanding and a wealth of research material to back up his claims that the Texas Longhorn is a direct descendant of the Spanish Cattle:



No comments: