It is believed that an emissary of Hernan Cortes brought the first ancestors of the Texas Longhorn to this continent in 1521. These cattle originated near the Andalusian Mountains of southwestern Spain around the Guadalquivir River Valley. They arrived on the east coast of Mexico near Tampico at the Panuco River. These Andalusian cattle roamed freely and multiplied for approximately 300 years without human intervention. They were fierce and lived on cactus, weeds, and brush, and on little water; only the fittest survived. They had mottled hides and twisty spreading horns. Spanish missionaries, colonialists and explorers of the North American west during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries all utilized the beef from the Texas Longhorns. During the decade after the War Between the States, Longhorns moved from Texas to the northern plains by way of cattle drives. Cowboys, many of them men returning to Texas after the war, drove millions of head of Texas Longhorns north up the famous cow trails to the Kansas railheads.
In 1927, the United States established a national herd of Texas Longhorn in Cache, Oklahoma at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, saving the breed from extinction. This herd carried the WR Brand and provided many Longhorn breeders a good start in the years that followed.
O’Bryant Ranch is producing purebred registered Texas Longhorn cattle of traditional conformation. Using genetics found in the WR and Yates bloodlines, our Texas Longhorn cattle
produce color, twisty horn, and the build of the purebred Longhorn. Elvin Belvins “Spear E” brand was prominent on many of the great Longhorns from the past. This line of Texas Longhorns is still produced by Connie Sterns of Marsh Acres and Jennifer & Charley Loucks of JCA Longhorns, both located in
Pennsylvania and Dr. L.V. and Pat Baker of the Safari B Ranch in Elk City,
Oklahoma.
Yates cattle from South Texas are still the purest of the breed and many Yates Longhorns were utilized when gathered to establish the national herd in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Debbie and Don Davis of
DWD Longhorns continue this progeny of Texas Longhorn cattle from Lawrence Wallace and Fayette Yates, and his father Ira Yates, on their ranch near Bandera, Texas. My herd sire, Yates 23/1 “Borrado” purchased from the Davis’ was sired by Chisos Yates 840, sired by
Nino Yates 12 out of Senora Yates 54. My goal is to produce the purebred Texas Longhorn with color, twisty horn and traditional build to continue the legacy of the purebred Texas Longhorn.
The following photographs of Texas Longhorn bulls from the past are found in the pedigrees of our Longhorns. I have also included a photo of Borrado’s sire, Chisos Yates 840.
