ITLA Longhorn Drover January/February 2023

theParade,WelcomeNational WesternStockShowbacktoDenver

By- Charlie Searle

A herd of 30-some Texas Longhorns from the partnership of Stan Searle and Gary Lake drew the “pole position" once again in Denver, leading the kickoff parade welcoming the 2023 edition of the National Western Stock Show to town. An anticipated 700,000 people will attend the show, which officially runs January 6-22.

Cool (but not snowy or windy, fortunately) weather greeted the parade participants and the estimated 60,000+ spectators on January 5, continuing a tradition begun in 2006 (which happened to be the centennial celebration for the event, launched in 1906 as the Western Live Stock Show). “We’re excited to be a part of this every year,” says trail boss Gary Lake. “Everybody was on their best behavior this year, even the cowboys. The audience may not think about this much, but these aren’t trained performance cattle. They’re loaded up out of the pasture and dumped out behind Coors Field in downtown Denver. It’s the real deal … but as we know with these cattle, they’re smart enough to just go where they’re being herded and aren’t looking for a hassle any more than we are.”

The Longhorns appeared on the front page of Denver and Colorado Springs newspapers the following days, as well as on numerous area TV news broadcasts, web sites and Facebook feeds. “It’s a huge platform for the breed every year, and an opportunity for people to see these living legends of the American West up close,” says Stan Searle, who abdicated his traditional horseback position per doctor’s orders (recent surgery kept him “on the wagon” for this event, so to speak). The Longhorns will also be featured in the popular Wild West Show on January 14-15 and at the Texas Longhorn Show on Friday, January 20 (non-haltered) and Saturday, January 21 (haltered). For show info, contact Gary Lake at 719/314-8294. For Stock Show schedule and details, go to NationalWestern.com.

We are pleased to announce the 2023 committee's. Thank You so much to these people for volunteering their time and effort. You are what makes ITLA the best it can be!

ITLA Approved Judges Committee

Joel Dickinson- ITLA Board Liaison

Andrea Wilson

Connie Ollive

Russell Hooks

ITLA Convention Committee

Bill Henderson- ITLA Board Liaison

Kyla Lovejoy

Russell Hooks

Connie Ollive

ITLA Show Committee

Russell Hooks- ITLA Board Liaison

Kyla Lovejoy

Connie Ollive

John Moxley

ITLA Futurity Committee

Jeremy Johnson- ITLA Board Liaison

Mike Metcalfe

Justin Sabio

Kristina Bentz

Amanda Hardcastle

ITLA Marketing/Promotional Committee

Terry Brink-- ITLA Board Liaison

Russell Hooks

Amanda Hardcastle

Genelle Woodard

Micha Hamersky

ITLA International Committee

Gordon - ITLA Board Liaison

Emanuel Holzer

Micha Hamersky

ITLA Youth Committee

Russell Freeman- ITLA Board Liaison

Wes Evans

Kyla Lovejoy

Russ Thompson

Amanda Evans

ITLA Royalty Committee

Connie Ollive - ITLA Board Liaison

Russ Thompson

Tammy Tiner

Weldon Lovejoy

Corina Henderson

ITLA Election/Nomination Committee

John Moxley- ITLA Board Liaison

Weldon Lovejoy

Wes Evans

ITLA Scholarship Committee

Justin Sabio - ITLA Board Liaison

Kyla Lovejoy

Andrea Wilson

ITLA DNA Committee

Russell Freeman- ITLA Board Liaison

Amy Mast

Justin Sabio

ITLA History & Memorabilia Committee

Joel Dickinson- ITLA Board Liaison

Amy Mast

ITLA Beef Committee

Russell Freeman- ITLA Board Liaison

Amanda Hardcastle

Amy Mast

Micha Hamersky

ITLA Affiliate Committee

Shadow Seaman - ITLA Board Liaison

Gordon Muskgrove

The ITLA Affilate Presidents

ITLA Fund Raising Committee

Mike Metcalfe- ITLA Board Liaison

Gary Lake

Amanada Evans

They're Back! A History of Texas Longhorn Cattle

by: Paige Evans

Spanish explorers are given credit for bringing the first longhorned cattle to the New World. Columbus, in 1493, brought them to Santo Domingo. A few years later Cortes stocked Longhorn cattle on his holdings in Mexico, naming that grand estate Cuerno Vaca, "Horn Cow."

In 1540, Coronado took a cumbersome number of sheep, goats, hogs, and at least 500 head of Spanish cattle as food for his expedition to find the Seven Cities of Cibola. Some of those Longhorns were abandoned along the way, left to run wild and twenty-five years later, they numbered in the thousands, available to anyone able to catch them. Other breeds took the long sea voyage to North America but would not survive their new surroundings. Eventually, in Virginia during the early 1600's, British colonists managed to maintain a breed of English bovines that would later be known as Native American cattle. But it was to be Spanish animals from the Andalusian Mountains of southwestern Spain that would eventually influence the history of the North American continent and become the cornerstone of America's legendary cattle, the Texas Longhorn.

By 1783,

1,400,000 hides were shipped to Europe from Buenos Aires alone. Some Mexican ranchers were known to be branding as many as 30,000 calves yearly. This New World breed of Spanish Cattle became known as Criollo, or "cattle of the country".

During the next 300 years the Criollo, ancestors of the Texas Longhorn were bought, sold, stolen and fought over. Some were selectively bred, while at the same time thousands were surviving very well on their own. In the 1800's, Longhorn cattle were plentiful across the western face of America. Feeding the growing population of gold seekers caused the price of Longhorn beef to soar from $1.50 to as high as $30.00 per head in the region of San Francisco. 1,000 head of Longhorn cattle were taken to southern Alberta, Canada in 1876, which multiplied to nearly 40,000 head in the next 8 years.

Longhorn cattle have made it through freezing weather, floods and droughts, Indian raids, the Civil War, and tough conditions through which no other cattle could have survived. Most ran free, requiring no one to care for them.

Rugged, hearty, and unharmed by many of the diseases affecting other breeds, the Longhorn relied then as now on intuitive cunning, endurance, strength and their long horns to protect themselves and their young.

Whether raised by ranchers or rounded up from the wild, Longhorns were eventually taken north in phenomenal cattle drives. According to history and present day authorities, it was the Longhorn that was responsible for opening the Dodge City, Kansas cattle market. Buyers from New York to Wyoming arrived early just to watch the magnificent long horned cattle being driven into the stockyards.

Author J. Frank Dobie's fascination with the Longhorn led to intense research on the subject and subsequently an excellent book, The Longhorns, which details the history of this exceptional breed of cattle. Dobie writes, 'After 1888 the north-flowing stream of Longhorns became a dribble. By 1895, the trails out of Texas were all fenced across or plowed under. Ten million cattle, it had been authoritatively estimated, were driven over them between 1866 and 1890.'

By the 1920s, Longhorn cattle had become a rare sight. Six ranching families preserved and bred pure Texas Longhorn stock. They were the Wright, Yates, Butler, Marks, Peeler, and Phillips families. Each for many years raised stock completely unrelated to the other herds. Their efforts planned or otherwise, were the vital factor that prevented the breed from extinction. In 1927, to insure their preservation, a government herd was established at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Cache, Oklahoma. All of today's Longhorn breeders are raising direct decedents of animals collected and protected by these seven entities. But even in the mid-twentieth century the plight of Longhorn cattle was precarious. The 1959 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica states, '...longhorn cattle once numerous on the western ranges of the United States...brought to America by Spaniards are now practically extinct.'

For over 500 years, Longhorn cattle made important contributions to the history of this continent: feeding explorers, pioneers, Indians, and Armies. As a beast of burden they pulled more conestogas westward than any breed. They created historic wealth, health and now a modern industry that is thriving again. Having survived the threat of extinction, Longhorn cattle are once more increasing in numbers, popularity and profitability. Known for their naturally lean meat, Longhorn beef is sought after for its healthy properties. Colorful hides and long-horned skulls have become popular and valuable decorative items. Riding steers and trophy animals attract attention because of their gentleness, colorful coats and enormous horns.

In 2007 at the prestigious Texas Longhorn Legacy Sale, select cows with over 70 inches of horn tip to tip, grossed over $2,000,000 in 113 premium lots. When the gavel came down on the highest selling animal, the final bid was $82,000. In 2006, one cow sold for a record breaking $100,000. She held that honor only a few minutes before being outdone by a cow selling for $150,000.

Somewhere in time, the name Texas Longhorn was used to describe these unique Spanish cattle and it became their official name. Across the Americas, Canada, Mexico, and parts of Europe, Texas Longhorn cattle are being bred and raised. Ranchers are eager to maintain the heritage, lean beef quality and legacy of this truly incredible animal.

To warp up this history lesson, it seems appropriate to quote Dobie again. In his introduction to The Longhorns, he states, 'The Texas Longhorn made more history than any other breed of cattle the civilized world has known. ...he will remain the bedrock on which the history of the cow country of America is founded.'

Texas Longhorn Cattle Information | Dickinson Cattle Co

The7OriginalFamilies

Near the Ft. Worth, Texas Stock Yards the largest bronze monument in Texas has been errected with seven bigger-than-life Longhorn steers to memoralize the seven pioneer Longhorn herds. The bronze was cast by world famous sculptor Terry Kelsey of Guthrie, Texas. Within the body cavity of the Philips family representative was placed certain actual bones from the most famous Longhorn sire of all time, Texas Ranger. This fabulous work of art is titled "Texas Gold."

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MARKS cattle were the thrill and satisfaction of Emil Marks to raise and enjoy. The late Emil Marks was fondly remembered by Maudeen and Travis who actively pursued the goals of their wise old father. Mr. Marks raised a lot of twisty horned, brindle cattle, with strong red, dun and brown coloration. Most of the pure Marks blood was lost in the late 1960's as a result of Bangs disease. Hardly any high percentage Marks cattle remain.

The old pure Marks were often of a V shape horn style similar to Brahman. Marks cattle were often very quiet and easy to train for riding or pulling wagons and believed to possess oxen origin. The numbers available today of the pure Marks blood have been diluted and are no doubt the smallest in number of the seven families.

Emil Marks was a friend of Cap Yates and did at times trade or sell to the Yates family. The Marks cattle were then a part of the old Yates stock but probably not a large part considering the massive number in the Yates herd. The Marks herd ran on sprawling, coastal grass land, west of Houston, Texas. Today the Emil Marks land is totally covered with city.

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Yates cattle are a very distinctive family within the Texas Longhorn breed. Yates line is named for I.G. "Cap" Yates, who assembled this line of cattle in far West Texas by using both local and Mexican Cattle. On occasion he would buy entire truckloads of cattle from which he may select only three or four head that he felt were true Texas Longhorns. Cap Yates had a passion for the traditional rangy twisty-homed, highly fertile Texas Longhorn cow, and made certain that these were the kind he kept in his herds. He kept his Texas Longhorn herd scrupulously separated from any other kind of cattle, even when Texas Longhorns were out of favor with the beef livestock industry. He knew that these old-fashioned cattle were the best type suited for his rugged rangelands, and no one could persuade him otherwise.

The Yates cattle had their origin in the early part of this century. and have had very few Introductions of outside Longhorn blood since that time. Yates did swap cattle with the Wichita Refuge and Longhorn enthusiasts may be surprised to find Yates cattle listed in the foundation generations of many WR pedigrees. The Yates and WR families are very close cousins, the main difference being that Cap Yates ran multi sire herds under traditional extensive management, while the Refuge kept single-sire herds.

As a result, the WR cattle have specific pedigrees and the older Yates cattle do not, One will find, however, that this lack of pedigree information is in keeping with the traditional breeding programs that laid the foundation for today's Texas Longhorn industry. Cap Yates also did a bit of trading with fellow Longhorn legends Emil Marks and Graves Peeler. The traded cattle were few in number. and left no lasting mark on the huge herds that Cap ran on the rough West Texas Range. As a result, the Yates cattle remain more closely related to the WR cattle than to the other families of Texas Longhorns.

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Unlike the WR bloodline, however, cattle from the original Yates bloodline are becoming increasingly hard to find. The line is still valued for its long living, highly fertile cows, and their traditional Texas twist horns are sought after by hobbyists and serious breeders alike. Indeed, Yates Longhorns excel in producing all those traits traditionally associated with the Texas Longhorn breed, securing for the Yates bloodline a place in cattle production systems. Only a handful of breeders are keeping the pure Yates line as the primary focus of their programs.

These breeders are raising Longhorns as truly self-sufficient range cattle; as is the case in any business, bottom line productivity is the key for ranchers making their living Texas Longhorns. Today's Yates cattle all trace to a few herds which were founded from the original Cap Yates herd. One of these was a group of "old timer" type cattle used by Elvin Blevins (creator of the famous Spear E, brand of Oklahoma) and others in the years prior to the formation of the TLBAA.

These cattle included Yates 33, YO Chip and Whitey Yates, among other notables. This old breeding is nearly gone now, but does figure in the pedigrees of a number of present-day Yates Longhorns. The Lely Ranch herd forms another distinct family of Yates line cattle. These were purchased from Cap Yates in 1960, and this line was raised continuously on the Lely Ranch near Presidio in West Texas up until the herd was dispersed earlier this year.

Many Yates cattle have Lely animals in their pedigrees, and the Lely line has been used a great deal among Yates breeders. Straight Lely-bred pedigrees are a rarity these days, although Jeff Burhus and J.B. Hutto of Texas both base their breeding programs upon the Lely line. A few Lely semen sires are also available, and the Yates herds of breeders such as the "Dr. Joes" (Joe Knowles of New Mexico and Joe Graham of Missouri) include a variety of Lely animals.

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One particular bull widely used within the Lely line, YO Toro 323, has an interesting pedigree in that he traces back to all oldtime Yates breeding. One of his granddams is listed in his pedigree as "Unknown." This cow was purchased from Cap Yates by the well-known Y.O. Ranch of Texas, and carries the YO brand, but she was registered before the days that breeders began taking care to track family lines within their own herds. That this cow did in fact come from the Cap Yates herd was overlooked at the time, but YO Toro 323 is recognized today as an important early Yates bloodline sire, The herd of Darrell York of Marfa, Texas also includes cattle from this breeding background.

Schaleben Longhorns are another source of Yates blood that may escape the attention of all but the most dedicated students of the Texas Longhorn. The Schaleben cattle came from the herd of Rocky Reagan, whose cattle we're all of Yates breeding. Only much later in the developmenl of the Schaleben line in South Texas were any non-Yates. Lonnghorns used, and all of the early Schalebens are of Yates breeding (breeders should note that the mention of "Reagan Longhorn" in pedigrees does indicate Yates blood). Although Schaleben cattle have had a relatively small impact on the Texas Longhorn industry, a ter herd of Buffalo Gap, Texas. A number of Schaleben bulls have made important contributions to the breed. The well-known bull Tinhorn is half-Schaleben, and Heck's Best, a familiar name to Longhorn archivists, was of 100% Schaleben breeding. The Schaleben line is one of the oldest and most traditional in type of the Longhorn bloodlines.

The Y.O. Ranch once had one of the largest collections of Yates cattle next to the Cap Yates herd, and some present-day Yates cattle trace back to Y.O.-bred and raised Yates animals. YO Avalon Chief was a good Yates bull which went back to the herd which the Yates family dispersed (following Cap's death in the late 1960s). Other Y.O. cattle which trace back to Cap Yates' own program serve as a reminder of the importance of the Yates line as a foundation strain for many historically important herds of Texas Longhorns. The Texas Longhorn breeder of the 1990's is the beneficiary of Cap Yates' stubborn insistence on clinging to the old type of Texas Longhorn range cattle. The Texas Longhorn breed is better for having the original family lines, not only of Yates cattle but of all the different families, available for breeding stock. The Yates line, though a little harder to find than some of the other bloodlines, is a true cattleman's Longhorn, and has a 1ot to offer in terms of genetic potential-regardless of the specific emphasis of your breeding program

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WRIGHT cattle are distinctly different from all the others. The old family were nearly all duns, reds and line backs. There was a unique, slight dish face in many. They were somewhat long in body but not real tall. Some had a long goatee like growth of hair hanging from the top inner ear protecting it from tropical insects.

The Wright herd is now managed by Tracy Wright. Prior to that, the late M.P. Wright, Jr. and son Chico enthusiastically perpetuated the herd that was mostly started by his purchase of the Uncle John Webster herd in the early 1900's. (see Dobie's book 1940)

Wright blood flows in some of the best cows in the breed. The first cow in the Longhorn breed to sell for over $10,000 was "Wright 489" who was dam of the great "Doherty 698." Later, a Wright cow named Alma II became the grandam of Senator.

Wright cows are extra feminine, very trim necks and straight backs. The combination of Wright female lines with modern popular blend families has produced some of the breed's most valuable cattle.

At one time the historic Wright blood was intensely inbred. To stop this practice, Butler, WR and many other families' bloodlines were introduced to out cross.

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PHILLIPS cattle are one of the oldest of the 7 pure families. The late J.G. "Jack" Phillips, Jr. of Brazoria County, Texas and his father were born and raised with Longhorn cattle in the early 1900s. The herd was expanded in the late twenties by Jack's purchase of the Melgaard herd. A more detailed account of this historical family was featured in the Texas Longhorn Journal Summer 1980 issue entitled the "Texas Ranger Legacy."

Phillips cattle are taller and longer than the other foundation herds. Some interchanging of bulls was done with Graves Peeler and Wichita Refuge in later years. Also a good horned Butler bull was used by the Phillips' during the 1950's to blend with Phillips genetics.

The Phillips cattle were every subtle color with possibly more solid colors than some herds due to the sun burning of white cattle in the very hot coastal climate. More large horned and big beefy bulls were used in this foundation herd than any other. Some of the almost lost Texas twist horn factor was perpetuated in Phillips cattle. The Phillips blood is one unique in itself. They are individualistic and no other herds look exactly like they do. They have long legs and slightly coarse bone. Some almost homely heads and narrow faces may be found which was typical of many early TL cattle. Texas Ranger, the all-time leading foundation sire, was raised by Phillips. The longest, tallest and most rapid gaining Longhorns all trace to this great bull. At this writing, every world or International All Age Champion Bull traces back to Texas Ranger.

Texas Ranger JP was the first AI Certified bull -- #1. There was great controversy of his genetics due to his early superiority in the breed. He was ruthlessly blood tested by his opponents searching for impurities. One of his 22 blood types of record was also found in Hereford cattle.

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However history well documents that the Hereford cattle of the USA were bred up from Texas Longhorns. Some historic registered Hereford blood types overlap to Texas Longhorn families. With time and legal struggles it was determined that all cattle breeds share many common blood types.

The Texas Ranger blood is the favorite of leading commercial ranchers and major show winning exhibitors although today it is way back in the pedigrees. This family, when properly mated, would produce adult bulls weighing 1,800 to 2,100 lbs. Texas Ranger is the strongest male line in the breed. More of his down-line progeny are used in frozen semen and embryo transfer than any other line. Some say if it had not been for the growth factor that Texas Ranger added to the breed, commercial ranchers would have never appreciated and respected Longhorns as they do today.

Texas Ranger JP was originally named Texas Ranger, however the recording secretary found that was a duplicate name. Another obscure bull had been named Texas Ranger early in the registry so the famous Texas Ranger is really Texas Ranger JP.

Jack Phillips was well respected in Texas cattle circles and attended major Texas Cattleman's Assn. meetings with a high regard. He served as president of TLBAA for 2 years and was well appreciated. Annual conventions could be right on the edge of a shoot-out and Jack would take the floor and slowly cool the hot-headed loud-mouths down to a conversational tone. Jack loved Texas Longhorns and was excited that his bull Texas Ranger JP had the favor and value to lift the early breed to a higher level.

Pillars of the breed from Phillips genetics early on included Texas Toro, sire of Cowcatcher; Texas Lin, sire of Royal Mounty; Miss Texas Ranger 262, Manchadita Ranger, Ranger's Measles, Texas Trish, Measles Super Ranger, Texas Freckles, Texas Star, etc. Current breed leading down-line progeny include Cowboy Tuff Chex, Respect Me, Clear Win, Drag Iron, Tempter, Rodeo Max, Jamakizm, and a cast of thousands.

The Phillips contribution of just one prepotent sire had more authority in shaping the breed than many of the other 7 family whole herds.

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Every generation trailblazers, pioneers and trend-setters. Although this all too often reflects a widespread infatuation with a passing fad or image, there have been those truly worthy of such a distinction. One of history's real-life great Americans, based on his contributions to our heritage and culture, is the late Graves Peeler. Texas Longhorn breeders, in particular, owe him a debt of gratitude, as they are the beneficiaries of one of Peeler's lifelong goals: the preservation of the Texas Longhorn breed. Raised as a Texas cattleman, Peeler early-on learned to love and appreciate the state's native cattle, as well as the Western way of life which has long been chronicled and romanticized by novelists and poets alike.

Peeler's father, Thomas M. Peeler, began raising longhorns in 1880, leaving his son with the sense that longhorns were the only cattle worth owning. In 1920, at the age of 34, Peeler went to work as a cattle inspector for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. (His father, T. M., had been a well-known TSCRA inspector and, in fact, was killed in the line of duty when Graves was just I. Graves' career with the TSCRA would prove worthy of a book in itself, and contributed a great deal to the Graves Peeler legend. Recounting his adventures as an inspector to Jane Pattie for a series of articles in The Cattleman ('To Catch a Thief," Oct.-Dec. 1969), Peeler included accounts detailing shootouts with cattle rustlers (see inset). "Graves Peeler was one of the finest cattle detectir.es the TSCRA ever had." recalls Jack Phillips (of West Columbia, Tex.) a long time friend and fellow cattleman. 'At the same time, though, he enjoyed a lot of fun. He had a dry humor and wit about him, and was generally at ease with folks. He had an eagle eye, like the Indians were supposed to, which made him an excellent tracker and marksman. He was the kind of man for whom you cared a great deal, or disliked him a great deal. I loved the old rascal myself, like I would a favorite uncle." "Graves was a natural-born lawman," adds Leonard Stiles of the King Ranch, a close protégé of Peeler's. "He was very understanding, although many people feared him-of course, mainly those on the wrong side of the law. As far as I'm concerned, he was a legend, one of the greats."

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Along with his colorful ten-year stint with the TSCRA, Peeler will also be remembered and appreciated for his role in saving the Longhorn from imminent extinction. He was foreman of the Nash Ranch, Brazoria County, in 1927, when he was asked by fellow Brazoria County resident Frank Dew for assistance in tracking down true longhorns for the original herd at the Wichita Wildlife Refuge in Cache, Okla. The two were able to acquire five cows, one bull and one steer for the federal preserve.

In 1933, with the assistance of J. Frank Dobie (famous historian and author of The Longhorns, and at the request of Sid Richardson of Fort Worth, Peeler set out to round up a foundation Texas longhorn herd for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. The cattle were scarce and difficult to track down, and Peeler and Dobie wound up traveling six thousand miles in four months to find 30 cows and three bulls. Ten of these mother cows and one of the bulls became the Peeler herd, with the remainder going to the state. By the time the TLBAA was formed, the Texas Longhorn was no longer a vanishing breed. More and more ranchers had begun raising the cattle, with Peeler's herd being among the most prominent and highly regarded. Many of today's wellknown Texas Longhorn breeders got their start in the business with help from peeler. Among these are Dickinson Ranch, Y.O. Ranch, Walter Scott, King Ranch, Jack Phillips, John Ball, Happy Shahan, Larry Smith, John Prothro, and C. W. Hellen. Darol Dickinson describes his introduction to the Texas Longhorn and Graves Peeler: "In 1967. I saw an ad which Happy Shahan had run in a cattle magazine talking about having longhorns for sale, and it interested me, first of all, because I was interested in the cattle, and also because I had an $325 for him.

The bull, Sam Bass, has produced offspring which can be found in a number of herds today, including Miss Lin, Mr. Dillon and Mr. Lin. When we made that first purchase, Peeler was known to have one of the best combinations of quality and quantity in the longhorn business, so naturally his herd has played a major role in elevating the breed to its current level of popularity." Charlie Hellen of Hebbronville, Tex., also got his start in the business through Peeler. "ln 1964, a friend of mine named Dick Holbein, who was a game warden up around where Peeler was at that time, took me to Grar.es' ranch to meet Mr. Peeler. He fed us well, made us feel right at home. I bought 3O steers from him that day and, in '65, I bought my first six Longhorn cows from the Peeler herd." Jack Phillips and Walter Scott purchased the bulk of Peeler's Longhorn uncle living south of San Antonio by the name of Art Shahan.

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I called my uncle and asked whether or not he was related to Happy and if he would buy some of his cattle for me. He told me that in fact he was a distant relation, and he knew Happy had bought the Longhorns from Graves Peeler, who was my uncle's neighbors. He suggested that we buy from Peeler, since his herd was generally regarded as one of the best. So, we went to Peeler's ranch and made a deal to buy six cows, six calves and a bull from his herd. He wanted $30O for each pair and another $300 to pick out a bull. 'When we found the bull we wanted, Peeler said no, he couldn't let that one go for such a low price. So we settled on herd when he decided to sell them in 197O. (Two years later, Scott bought out most of Phillips' share in the cattle.) Peeler kept 17 cows, a bull and some steers, and it was what remained of these, plus the offspring, that were purchased by John Ball and Larry Smith in 1978. The cattle that Peeler had chosen to start his herd were professional range cattle: hardy, rugged and durable. To Peeler, a Longhorn cow was a cow that would bring in a calf every year with no exceptions. And, according to Dickinson, "He liked his cattle to have some fight in them, real Wild West cattle." A popular story is told about a Longhorn sale which Peeler attended in the late 196Os a feisty cow was brought into the ring and proceeded to charge Elmer Parker, who was on horseback. Parker escaped, which prompted the animal to go after the other rider, Gene Bartnicki. While the sale spectators, the majority of whom wanted absolutely nothing to do with such a badly behaved Longhorn, watched in amazement, Peeler jumped up, whooped with delight, and placed the final bid on the cow. "He was a rugged individual, and he appreciated the same quality in his Longhorn herd," adds Dickinson. Other noteworthy characteristics of Feeler cattle are size and mothering ability. "The best thing about Peeler cattle is that they have the size that appeals to commercial breeders and is desirable as far as crossbreeding is concerned," says Robby Robinson of Junction, Tx., whose herd is straight Peeler. "Graves didn't breed for color, as is commonly done today. His goal was performance, and his cows were mothers first and foremost.

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One factor contributing to Peeler's original breeding guidelines was Peeler's failure to anticipate the longhorn's meteoric rise in popularity. "No, he didn't see that coming at all," according to Phillips. "l had a tough time just getting Graves to register his herd. He had no idea how popular they would become." Concludes Robinson, "The future of the breed depends on our ability to do business with commercial cattlemen, so the Peeler characteristics will prove essential to the longhorn's continued usefulness and survival." The arguments over which should take priority among color, conformation and horns will continue. But such questions and the Longhorn itself might not have existed today if not for the efforts of Graves Peeler, who passed away in 1977 at nearly 9l years of age. His attitudes about life ran a direct parallel with the nature of his Texas longhorn bloodline. As Walter Scott, another close friend and admirer of Graves Peeler, put it, "He and the cattle knew tough times and how to survive them."

"I waited there one evening until I saw Thibodeaux drive some cattle up. I got down a foot with my rifle and pistol; crossed an irrigation canal, and got up in some weeds this side of where they had a cow to kill. Thibodeaux shot the cow three or four times, then set three big dogs on her. They caught her and he knocked her on the head with an ax. The old man then hid with his Winchester behind a pine tree that had blown down, while his two boys began skinning the cow I stepped right up close to one of the boys, who had his back turned to me. I reached out, gabbed him by the nape of the neck. and shoved him in the ribs with my rifle. 'Just sit down!' I told him. The other boy was sitting across from the cow, skinning the underside, and I said, Call your daddy out here. He's hidden behind that tree.' "So he said. 'Papa. come here, 'and the old man stood up and looked in our direction' "When he came over, I collared him and said. 'Put your gun down. You and these boys are under arrest for butcherin' this cow.' Thibodaux was at a disadvantage. He had his gun pointed away from me, cocked, and I was on his left. I said. 'Drop that gun or I'll shoot it out of your hand.' He stooped over. like he was going to lay his gun down, but all of a sudden he squatted and shot at me getting me through the ear. Then I let the hammer down on him. It spun him around and I shot him twice more with my sixshooter' That was the end of it': Graves Peeler

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In the fifties and sixties many people started raising Longhorns because of the colorful old Graves Peeler, a retired Texas Ranger, of Atascosa County, Texas. Peeler's efforts to establish his Longhorn program were started about the same time as WR, in the late twenties and early thirties. The other five herds started from ten to several dozen years earlier. Some of these old family herds just don't have any recorded beginning. The Peeler, WR and Butler all have a dated beginning. The WR herd was the latest of origin.

The Peeler cattle are truly professional range cattle. He wanted his cows to come in every year with a fat, live calf and no excuses. They lived in semi-desert, lots of mesquite, diamond back rattlers and timber wolves. Graves wanted lots of fight in his cattle. I've been to sales in the late sixties that Graves attended. When a fighty cow came in the ring, most breeders were not that enthusiastic. They sure weren't going to pay any extra premiums. Not so with Mr. Peeler. One time a WR cow come in the ring, ran over to Elmer Parker, who was horseback, and promptly tried to hook his horse down. Elmer wheeled and got away. Mr. Peeler let out an Indian war hoop, stood up leaning on his cane and placed the final bid. No one bid against him after that. This was his kind of cow . . . with fight!

The old herd that he established were fairly big cattle. Generally speaking they were larger boned than most Longhorns. They were excellent milkers and raised big fat calves. Most of the Peeler stock were sold at the San Antonio Stock Yards, so pounds of meat were his goal. He was successful in raising that. Some Peeler cows give so much milk their udders become damaged and their productive life is reduced. Like the Yates cattle, only a few Peeler cows had the longhorns. Many had a slight Brahman look and a V shape horn, rather than the straight out, lateral shape so popular today. Peeler probably was more careless in allowing non-Longhorn blood to creep into his herd than any of the other six. Who cared anyway in 1929? No one offered any premium for purebred Longhorns thirty years before the first Longhorns were registered.

The King Ranch was the main stronghold of Peeler blood. Some have a slight roman nose and the prominent color is red. Very few people use Peeler bulls today but the heavy milking cows are appreciated by those who do. The Peeler cattle have size, lots of milk and they are protective mother cows deluxe. Today the Peeler family herd is under the management of Justin Peeler.

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WICHITA REFUGE cattle have the best known history. The sixty-ninth congress in 1927 provided "that not to exceed $3,000 . . . shall be expended for the purchase and maintenance of a herd of long - horned or Spanish breed of cattle . . . to the end that the present few examples be preserved from extinction." The herd was started in the late twenties by selecting individuals from numerous south Texas herds. Two government forest rangers were in charge of the $3,000 and completed the task. (no one knows why government forest rangers were delegated to the job). None of the WR purchases were from other major herds of that day. The other families of Marks, Yates, Wright, Phillips, Butler were not used as a source for the foundation WR stock. The WR cattle were selected from smaller obscure herds, although the rangers travelled right in the same area of the major herds of that day. The original, traditional WR cattle were not of the horn growth, conformation or pretty colors their modern cattle possess. In 1968 Graves Peeler serving as a Longhorn Association inspector, commented that the WR had done a good job getting the badly swaybacked, traditional cattle culled from the herd.

Probably the most appreciated thing about the WR cattle is their fine set of pedigrees. The government herd always had staff carefully record this information. Until 2001 WR cattle had complete pedigree records back to the beginning of their herd. This information was appreciated by producers and had been neglected years ago by the other six families. A new policy was implemented by the 2001 WR leaders to halt all pedigree records and raise a multiple sire herd. Fans of WR cattle were devastated by this seventy year policy change.

The most famous WR bull of all time was "WR 2935." His weight was 1,260 lbs. and his horns were over 42". No other WR bull has had the popularity of WR 2935. Don Quixote is believed to be the all-time leading contributor of quality genetics representing the WR family. He has sired more over 50" progeny than any other WR bull. His progeny are mostly black and very trim of underline. Their growth and correct type command respect. Nearly all pure black longhorn cattle today trace to Don Quixote.

The WR cattle are intensely inbred. Possibly due to this, many WR cattle are somewhat smaller in size, length and height than other families. A direct out cross to larger families will correct this.

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The WR herd in Cache, Oklahoma have calved unassisted and in many ways are managed much like wild animals. Each cow calves within a few minutes walk of hungry government protected coyotes. This means every cow learns to be a good mother or ends up without a calf.

Probably more solid color bulls have been used on the WR cows than most herds. There is a commitment by WR management to perpetuate Spanish type or Longhorns as they historically were. It is not felt the old cattle were consistently highly colorful, which I'm sure is correct in general. The dynamic colors seen today, have been bred into herds by special selection because of public appeal. These were not traditional colors. More WR blood is available in the nation than any other family. This is due to availability as a result of their many annual surplus sales. Roughly 50% to 70% of all Texas Longhorn cattle possess high percentages of WR blood. This availability creates WR bulls in large numbers and therefore they normally sell fairly economically. This large number of WR cows makes it important for producers to utilize bulls of the other six families. WR is not well appreciated for herd sires.

Over the years WR has made an effort to place a small amount of new blood in their herd. Several bulls were acquired from Yates. One Phillips and one Butler bull were used. The bull, Bold Ruler, was donated to WR by the Dickinson family and his WR branded calves were the highest selling in the history of WR.

When evaluating WR bulls, their horns are more curled forward and up like the Spanish fighting bulls, rather than the wider lateral horn spreads that are more popular today. Most WR bulls have a clean sheath but many have excess lower neck and brisket skin causing a somewhat buffalo like silhouette. This is not the case with all WR bulls. Probably less than 10% of the bulls raised by WR ever reach up to 40" horn spans. Most mature WR bulls weigh 1,100 to 1,400 lbs. depending on health conditions. Their shoulder height will range from 52" to 54". Which reveals their Spanish influence.

WR cows are very feminine. Some are colorful. They are consistently above average for milk production because the fattest heifers were for years retained for replacements, concentrating this factor. Dickinson Cattle Co. LLC is about 30% WR blood.

The most famous cow ever produced by WR was "Measles." Her blood is highly sought by most prominent Longhorn producers. WR cattle are moderate in size and horn growth. They are the most numerous of all seven families because of availability at an annual surplus auction which began in 1942.

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Milby Butler, born in 1889, was a cowman at birth with a Brahma cow registered in his name when he was one week old. Initially, Milby’s primary interest was the family’s excellent Brahman herd. It was his son, Henry, who actually started the Longhorn herd, beginning with cattle he had received for working as a hand during the cattle roundups on the open rangeland between Houston and Galveston, Texas. From the time he was ten-years old, Henry helped with the roping and branding and took his pay in heifers. “I always took the big-horned ones,” Henry said. Their origin was “just old, big-horned East Texas cattle.” These became an important part of the Butlers’ foundation herd. The Butler family also ran an extensive stock pen and slaughterhouse business. The best cattle were sifted out over the years and retained for the growing Longhorn herd. In 1923, Milby separated the Longhorns from the rest of his cattle. While he was very interested in preserving the native Longhorns, it was not until Henry was away in the service during World War II that Milby took an active interest in raising the cattle. He soon assumed responsibility for the ranch’s Longhorn breeding program. In 1931, the Butlers traded Pat Phelps of Newton County (Texas) two Brahman cows for a white, “flea-bitten” Longhorn cow. This white, speckled cow with red ears, red rings around the eyes and nose, and red specks on her ankles became the first source of the color trait many people refer to as “Butler color.” Henry once described her as a medium-sized cow with a double twist corkscrew horn shape. In his search for outside Longhorn blood, Milby purchased five cows from Esteban Garcia of Encino, Texas. These cattle were not of the East Texas variety, but were true Mexican cattle. They came off of a dry desert and had been living on cactus most of their lives. They had callouses on their knees and hocks from getting up and down on rocks and cactus. Their mouths were so full of pear spears that their muzzles looked like the backs of porcupines. When the cattle were shipped to the Butlers at League City, only two of the five survived.

Although of an entirely different bloodline, these cows bore the “Butler” trait of large, corkscrew horns. One of the two, a red cow with a white star on her forehead, was among the longhorns loaned to John Wayne for use in the film, The Alamo. Subsequently christened “Miss John Wayne,” this cow lived to be 37 years old, giving birth to 12 bulls and no heifers. These sons were used as outcross Longhorn blood on the original Butler herd. Milby had Miss John Wayne’s head mounted after she died, and it now resides in the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, Texas.

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The Butlers used many white and roan bulls as herd sires. The main cow herd had been dominated by the solid colors common in most herds of the day. By breeding white bulls on solid cows, many unusual and outstanding colors resulted in the offspring. In conversations with Sam Partlow, F.M. “Blackie” Graves and Dewitt Meshell, they all remember the Milby and Henry Butler herd as filled with cattle of every color imaginable. Although he enjoyed the many wonderful colors that would “pop up” in the herd, Milby’s true passion was the horn growth the cattle could produce. Noone will argue with the fact that Milby bred for horns. His cows were carefully selected and put with the bull that he thought would produce length, base and corkscrew shape in the horns of their offspring. His herd sires were out of the cows with the best corkscrew horns. “Color,” Milby would say, “is unpredictable. Breed for horns and you’ll get color.” During the mid-1960’s, Garnett Brooks, a registration inspector for the newly-formed Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, visited the Butler herd on two occasions. His comments to the TLBAA indicated, “The Butler cattle are mostly light colors of cream, dun, grulla and white speckled. I did not see any black cattle. The pastures were partially chain-linked with excellent gates and working pens. There are many old cattle with the Texas screwtype horns. They are unusual cattle and different from other Longhorn herds. They are bigger framed cattle than most southeast Texas cattle. Many of the cattle could be considered real outstanding on horns.” Of the second inspection, Brooks recalled that “again we saw the identical type of twisted, big-horned cattle. The cattle were very uniform. They were selected for a specific type of [Milby’s] own desire. He felt he had a true type of the old blood.” Milby Butler died on October 16, 1971, a few months before his 83rd birthday. A year or two prior to his death, some of the Butler cattle had already been sold by private treaty as part of Milby’s wife’s estate. J.W. Isaacs of Alvin, Texas, was among the private treaty buyers, purchasing fourteen twoyear-old's. Immediately following Milby’s death, the bulk of his remaining cattle were sold at auction. Approximately eighty percent of the Butler herd was slaughtered. The other twenty percent was purchased by those Longhorn breeders fortunate enough to learn of the sales. These included Dewitt and Sammy Meshell, Ruel Sanders, W.D. and Sam Partlow, Luman Holman and J.W. Isaacs. Pauline Russell, Milby’s secretary, kept at least twenty of the best Butler cattle which she then sold in 1977 at Raywood, Texas. Among the buyers of these animals were Blackie Graves, E.B. “Booster” Stephenson, Wiley Knight and Edward Faircloth.

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Nearly fifty years after his death, there still survives an easily identifiable type of Texas Longhorn which bears the Butler name and can be traced in an unbroken line to the native big-horned cattle of East Texas and the Gulf Coast. It is only by chance that any survive at all. Through the efforts of a few breeders, a precious number of cattle were saved. These small herds were line-bred, with each becoming a closed genetic pool. Many times where these lines have been crossed, the resulting offspring have shown size, color and the outstanding horn growth of the original Butler herd. Today, there are seven recognized subfamilies of Butler cattle: Graves, Partlow, Lepper, Meshell, Holman, Sanders and Shinn. There were also a few pure Butler cattle not included in these herds. From these cattle descend today’s Butler Texas Longhorns offered through the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale. The Butler family was one of seven families credited with saving the Texas Longhorn breed from extinction. It is important to note that five of the other families introduced Butler breeding into their herds in the ’60s and ’70s. Those included the Phillips, Peeler, Marks, Wright and the WR herds. An interesting side note is that foundation animals for the WR came from the same geographic areas where foundation Butler cattle originated. Only the Yates bloodline had no known use of Butler genetics and while Butler supported and bought cattle from other breeders, there is no documented evidence that these cattle were ever used by Milby in his breeding program. All agreed his uneasiness over using outside unproven blood prevented him from doing so. Butler cattle have always had a history of strong market demand and during the 1980s, embryo transfer and semen syndications helped to propel the bloodline to the top of the industry. Cows such as FM Graves 102, Rose Red and Maressa along with bulls like Classic, Bold Ruler and Monarch took horn growth to a whole new level. The blend cattle produced using a Butler genetic base in herds such as those of Johnnie Hoffman, Blackie Graves and Dickinson Ranch, to name three of the most prominent, solidified the Butler bloodlines value to the entire Longhorn industry. The inspiration for the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale was born following the dispersal of the FM “Blackie” Graves herd which consisted of straight Butler and blend cattle. The overwhelming support for his straight Butler cattle, including the record setting sale of the mother-daughter combination of Classey BluButler FM386 and Miss Blue Denim FM 102, convinced us the time was right and the market demand strong for pure Butler genetics.

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In January of 1998, seven Longhorn breeders, known to have been strong lifetime supporters of the Butler bloodline, met to discuss the possibility of having a sale. After watching the other original Longhorn families slowly disappear, a sale seemed the best way to help preserve and promote the bloodline and give the participants a place to market their cattle. The Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale is unique in that it is the only Texas Longhorn Sale dedicated to a single bloodline and hosted by a group of breeders. (While the Wichita Refuge and Ft. Niobrara have had pure bloodline sales, they were held by the refuges as surplus sales.) The original group joined with other interested breeders and the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale was born, holding its first sale on Labor Day Weekend, 1998. Help and guidance from legendary auctioneer Colonel Eddie Wood and his wife Joyce proved invaluable and the sale could not have happened without them. Colonel Eddie remained the auctioneer until his retirement and in fact chose the 2008 Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale as the last sale he would ever auctioneer. Since that time, Joel Lemley has done an excellent job as auctioneer, having already participated in the sale on many different levels. The Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale quickly became one of the highlights on the Longhorn calendar each year. In addition to outstanding Longhorn cattle and the finest genetics offered in a no games-played atmosphere, breeders enjoy unmatched hospitality including endless food, drinks and desserts as well as the camaraderie of the Butler Group’s greatest asset, our people. Just a short visit with these breeders reveals their passion for and commitment to this extraordinary bloodline. While the sale has enjoyed many high-selling, high-dollar animals, the Butler Breeders are proudest of the consistency, longevity and honesty of the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale. We have survived droughts, hurricanes, high fuel prices, politics and other adversities by keeping the focus on the cattle. Many household names in the Longhorn industry were first made available at the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale. Some of the most exceptional must be mentioned – Delta Rockette, Dark Star BR3 and their progeny. Delta Rockette, with her two daughters, Little Ace Swamp Guinea and Dalgood’s Velvet Lady, as well as a great granddaughter, RVR Ashley Rose combined with Dark Star BR3, Dark Star’s daughter, Evening Star BR3, and then Evening Star’s daughter, Five Star BR3 represent seven of the high sellers at the Butler Breeder’s Invitational Sale.

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The 7 Longhorn Family's articles were sourced fromEducational (longhornroundup.com)

Texas Longhorn Cattle Information | Dickinson Cattle Co and from articles written by Kaso Ketty, Charlie Searle, Darol Dickinson and more

Care Of Older Cattle

Texas Longhorn cattle are known for their longevity, living into their mid to late teens. There are documented accounts of cattle living into their twenties with some making it into their thirties. While living that long is a major accomplishment for a bovine some of these animals even continue to produce quality offspring along the way. In the case of most of these cattle they do this with little to no extra help. It's my opinion that we are seeing a decrease in the longevity in our breed, but that is a whole other topic for another day. In this brief article, we are going to talk about the little extra care that a breeder can provide for the senior cows in the herd. Sometimes new breeders find it more affordable to purchase older proven cattle to hopefully build their herd. This is not always an affordable way to go but rather a costly way when you are not prepared to provided the extra care they may need. I am not saying "don't buy older cattle" but rather educate yourself and be prepared to go the extra mile for them. The cow pictured above is one of those older cows (18+yrs) that holds up well and doesn't look or show her age. She has maintained her body condition while simply running on good pasture. She calves regularly and breeds back quickly. As a matter of fact she calved not long after this photo was taken and bred back 25 days after calving. So she is one of those easy keeping older cows. Not all older cows are this easy to care for but they can be worth the effort. There a few simple things that I feel a breeder can do to help these older cows out in hopes of getting a few more calves on the ground from them.

First off evaluate the condition of your older cattle in the spring and fall or more often. Check the condition of teeth. Body condition (should be checked regularly)

After checking their teeth and body condition you can better decide on the best source of nutrition. If their teeth are worn-down, missing or broken then you will probably need to start them on a supplemental feeding program. Make sure the feed and hay that you are providing them with is easy for them to chew. I.E. a textured feed. Feeds such as cubes, large stemmed hay or tall tough pasture grass would not be a suitable feed for cattle with poor teeth. The feed should have a protein level of 12% to 14% and in my opinion, it is best that the protein be from a natural source, not from urea. Cattle with bad teeth can do poorly and loose body condition on a pasture full of grass if the grass is tall and tough. They will fare much better on a pasture in the spring time or that has been recently mowed, the grass is tender making it easy for them to graze with what teeth they have left.

Feed loose Minerals and Vitamins free choice. All cattle should have free choice access to a good quality loose mineral with vitamins, in my opinion. Mineral blocks are not sufficient. Older animals can benefit even more from a good mineral program. I also like using a shot of MultiMin 90(R) to help them maintain a balance of minerals/vitamins. A lot of minerals and vitamins work in concert with each other, so increasing one without its counterpart doesn't offer as much benefit to the treated animal.

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Next check joints for swelling and signs of arthritis. Do they move around freely or do they have stiffness when walking or getting up from laying down? By checking for any signs of arthritis you will be able to determine if the animal is able to continue to forage in larger or rougher pastures. If there is an indication of the onset of arthritis then you might need to set up a "granny pasture" to house your older cattle. This pasture should be small and one that would be easier for them to travel around. This will also make it easier for the cattle to receive any additional supplemental feeding that they may require without having to fight other stronger cattle for the feed. They will also need to have access to some kind of shelter or windbreak, manmade or created by mother nature depending on the area that you live. Have their reproductive status checked. If they are still breeding then you need to plan for the calves to arrive when the pastures and weather are good. It is real hard on older cows to nurse a calf in the late fall or winter even when receiving supplemental feeding. They are working to maintain their body condition, maintain their body temperature in the cold weather as well as produce milk for a nursing calf. All this can put a real strain on older cattle which can cause them to go down. So keep that in mind as you try to get that "one more" calf out of that special old cow.

For a lot of folks the hardest part of owning older cattle is knowing when to let them go. When their quality of life is no longer good it may be time. It's a hard decision to make but one that has to be made if you choose to keep older cattle around rather than selling them before they hit those teen years. The cow pictured above had a good life until arthritis in her knees and hips made getting up and down almost impossible. We made the tough call to put her down before she was completely down, immobile and suffering. These are just a few tips to try and help breeders maintain and get the most out of older cattle.