American Bucking Bulls – the British White Park Cattle Influence

April 4, 2018

The influence of the British White Park Cattle on the American Bucking Bull breed can be seen in the black points on ears, eyes and nose that are common in many of the bucking stock breeding programs.  The British White Park Cattle were a rare breed and did not exist anywhere outside of the British Isles.  A group of these semi-feral cattle were brought to the United States from Great Britain during World War II in an effort to protect the breed from becoming extinct under the German occupation.  A number of these cattle were housed in the Bronx Zoo in New York City.

After the war, it became evident that the numbers of the British White Park Cattle had remained stable in Great Britain and the cattle in the Bronx Zoo went to the King Ranch in Texas.  Thus, a nucleus herd was formed in the United States.

It was Charlie Plummer who took some of the White Park Cattle from the King Ranch and mixed them into his bucking bull breeding program.  They were bigger and they had an instinct to fight in them which gave them the natural tendency to turn back.  The genetics worked great as a foundation for bucking stock as the legendary sire Houdini has proven time and time again with his outstanding progeny.

by Terry Lidral

for Bucking Stock Talk Magazine

Author: Terry Lidral

Terry Lidral is a western writer/journalist who lives in Idaho. She is the publisher and editor of the online magazine Bucking Stock Talk and the online magazine Western Living Journal. Her publishing credits include Storyteller for Real American Cowboy Magazine, writing feature articles for Humps N Horns Magazine as well as a wide variety of national and international web sites, historical magazines and news publications. She is known for her "up close and personal" profiles of celebrities and industry moguls such as NPR's Tom Bodett; PBR's Wiley Petersen and D.H. Page, PRCA's Sammy Andrews, Cindy Rosser and Julio Moreno to name a few. She has been applauded for her way of making a personal connection between her readers and her subjects. She indulges in her love of rodeo by serving as an associate board member for the Caldwell Night Rodeo. She is also an accomplished trainer and handler in dog agility. Her shelties Amelie and Milo are titled in NADAC, USDAA and AKC.