The Texas Longhorn is a landrace [[Cattle|cattle]] breed descended from the Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries. Isolated and shaped by natural selection in the Texas brush country for more than 400 years, the breed developed extreme hardiness, disease resistance, and the iconic horns that span 5 to 7 feet (150 to 210 centimeters) tip to tip. Texas Longhorns are the oldest living genetic lineage of domesticated cattle in the Americas.
The ancestors of the Texas Longhorn arrived with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, when Spanish cattle were first introduced to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. From these early imports, cattle were brought to the mainland and spread northward through Spanish settlements in Mexico. Texas Longhorns were recorded as being present in Texas by the late 17th century. The first verified Longhorns in Texas territory were documented at Spanish missions established in the 1690s near present-day San Antonio.
Over the following centuries, the cattle that became the Texas Longhorn evolved under near-complete natural selection in the harsh environment of the South Texas brush country. Only the hardiest, most fertile, and most parasite-resistant animals survived. By the end of the American Civil War, an estimated 5 million feral Longhorns roamed Texas, forming the basis of the great cattle drives that moved millions of animals to railheads in Kansas between 1865 and 1895. The drives established the legend of the Texas cowboy and made the Longhorn the first economically significant beef breed in the American West.
The breed nearly went extinct in the early 20th century as ranchers switched to British beef breeds with heavier, faster-growing carcasses. Conservation efforts by the U.S. Forest Service, which maintained a small herd on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma beginning in 1927, and by individual ranchers preserved the breed. The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was founded in 1964. The breed is no longer considered endangered, though it remains a minor breed in the beef industry.
Texas Longhorns are medium-sized cattle with a distinctive narrow frame, long legs, and the characteristic long horns. Cows weigh 800 to 1,100 pounds (360 to 500 kilograms), and bulls weigh 1,200 to 1,800 pounds (540 to 815 kilograms). The horns grow continuously through the animal's life, with the widest recorded spread reaching 101 inches. The breed occurs in virtually every color pattern found in cattle, with the most common being a red body with white markings, though brindle, dun, blue roan, and solid colors all appear.
The breed is exceptionally resistant to many of the parasites and diseases that affect other cattle breeds. Calving ease is unmatched among beef breeds, with calves weighing 50 to 65 pounds at birth and requiring minimal assistance. The meat is leaner than that of British beef breeds, with lower saturated fat content and a distinct flavor prized in the natural beef market.
Texas Longhorns are raised primarily for lean beef production and as a conservation breed. The meat is marketed as a healthier alternative to grain-finished beef, with lower cholesterol and fewer calories per serving. The breed's extreme hardiness means that Longhorns require less veterinary intervention and fewer inputs than commercial beef breeds.
On homesteads, the breed's ease of calving and parasite resistance reduce management demands. Longhorns are efficient foragers that can utilize brushy pasture that other cattle would find inadequate. Their alert temperament and natural wariness of predators makes them effective guardians of their own calves.