CORRIENTE CATTLE – PART OF BUCKING BULL HISTORY

by Terry Lidral

The American Bucking Bull bloodlines are a great mix of cattle breeds from beginnings that trace back to “genetics unknown.”  From those sale barn bulls like Bodacious, Chainsaw and Jackie Ratjen’s Catfish, the American Bucking Bull Breed has developed from a great genetic diversity.  It’s a sure bet that somewhere in those bloodlines is a generous portion of the Corriente breed.

Early on, breeding bucking bulls was often a necessity for stock contractors needing to fill out their herds.  Since they were working to keep costs down, they bred to whatever cows were available.  In many cases, those cows were from the Corriente roping stock. 

The traits of Corriente cattle work well within the American Bucking Bull breed.  Although small, Corriente are tough.  They are durable in heat and do not need a high nutrition diet to thrive.  They are a quick, athletic cattle with a feisty, fighting spirit.  Their bone structure is strong and they have easy action and endurance.  Corriente cows are known for their stress-free calving ease and their ability to breed back with few problems.  It is not unusual for a Corriente cow to breed up through the age of 20. 

Primarily sports cattle that are brought in from Mexico and Central and South America, the Corrientes are a breed that has withstood the test of time.  Arriving in the Western Hemisphere with the Spaniards in the late 15^th century, these cattle were chosen for their survivability during the ocean voyage and their ability to adapt to the foreign land.  Corriente cattle were brought to Florida and Central and South America and eventually spread across the southern United States.  In the late 1800’s Corrientes were crossbred in the United States with a number of different cattle types until the original Corriente nearly disappeared.  If not for a few stragglers managing to survive by foraging in the wild, the original breed would have been wiped out in the United States.  Today the descendants of those wild Corriente herds are known as Scrub and Cracker Cattle in Florida and Swamp Cattle in Louisiana.

The original Corriente breed has been brought back and is being preserved by organizations who are dedicated to the promotion of the pure breed.  These resilient cattle are a popular beef breed with ranchers who want stock that are relatively maintenance-free and have a routinely high percentage rate of reproduction.

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.