History of Corriente Cattle

History of Corriente Cattle

Susan Allen
Susan Allen

 

Longhorns have been in our country longer than any other type of cattle having been brought into Texas from Mexico back in the 16th Century. But there is another breed with nearly the same history that was also influential but often overlooked  in shaping today’s cattle industry, I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for a little history lesson. Team roping is booming throughout the nation thanks to Corriente cattle the foundation of the sport,  yet most of us that spend time around these interesting creatures forget the Corriente's  impact on the cattle industry as a whole. Corrientes look much  like mini-long horns being lankier and wilder than the European cattle breads like the Hereford. And  like Longhorn cattle, the smaller corriente  arrived in the Americas around 1495 on Spanish ships. The breed was disease resistance with a long life span  and most importantly, like longhorns, corrientes were tough enough to survive the perious sea voyage to the new world.   Corrientes first landed in Florida, the West Indies, and Central and South America then migrated thoughout the South  and California flourishing until the late 1800’s when ranchers began breeding more modern European cattle. Direct descendants of those early Corrientes, can still be found today in Florida and Louisiana  where they are known as “cracker” and “swamp” cattle and interestingly are smaller than their Mexican cousins that are roped each weekend at jackpots throughout the west.    


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