THE BREED
The Texas longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to 120 inches tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows and bulls in the 70 to 80 inch tip to tip range. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their extreme diversified coloring. TheTexas Longhorn Breeders Association of America and the International Texas Longhorn Association serve as the recognized registries for the breed.
Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance
The first cattle to set foot in North America and the only breed of cattle to evolve without human management, the Texas Longhorn can thrive in country where no other breed can live; subsist on weeds, cactus and brush; range days away from water; and stay fit and fertile whether it's living in the scorching, parasite-infested tropics or in the arid, subzero winters of Montana.
Due to the variation in horn growth, with some cattle having almost flat horns while others have many twists and turns, there are 3 horn measurements that can be taken.
- Tip to Tip - The length from each tip of the horn, a straight line. This is a common measurement.
- Total Horn - The total length following the horn and always greater than the Tip to Tip.
- Base (or Poll) - The circumference of the horn at the largest point.