Corriente
Conservation status
Country of originUnited States
Userodeo; beef
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    454 kg (1000 lb)
  • Female:
    363 kg (800 lb)
Coatblack, brindle, paint
Horn statuslong, forward-curving
  • Cattle
  • Bos (primigenius) taurus
Cow in California

The Corriente is an American breed of small cattle, used principally for rodeo events. It derives from Criollo Mexicano stock, which in turn descends from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by the Conquistadores, and introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico.[3]: 243 

A breed association, the North American Corriente Association, was formed in 1982.[4]: 50 

History

Iberian cattle were brought to the Americas by the Conquistadores, and were introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico.[3]: 243  From these the various types or breeds of Criollo Mexicano have developed.[3]: 243 

Small cattle for use in rodeo events were exported to the United States in large numbers from the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, although in the late twentieth century this became difficult as a result of stringent border regulations.[3]: 243 [5]: 445  In Chihuahua annual exports were in the region of 40000 head, and 'Criollo de Rodeo' became an alternate name for the Criollo di Chihuahua; in Sonora, where the Frijolillo is the predominant Criollo breed, small cattle of any kind were commonly known as 'Corriente', meaning 'running'.[3]: 243 [6] When a breed association for rodeo cattle was formed in the United States in 1982, this was name chosen for the new breed, and the association was called the North American Corriente Association.[4]: 50 [7] The foundation stock of the Corriente breed included some Florida Scrub cattle and other similar cattle from Louisiana.[8]: 11 

In 2010 the number of breeding cows was 1127. In 2016 there were 114 breeders of the Corriente.[3]: 159 

Characteristics

Like other Criollo cattle of the Americas and many breeds of southern Europe, the Corriente is principally of taurine (European) derivation, but has a small admixture of indicine genetic heritage; this may be a consequence of gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar from cattle of African origin dating to before the time of the Spanish Conquest.[9]: 1399  A single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping study in 2013 found the level of zebuine introgression in the Corriente to be approximately 10%, not significantly different from that seen in the Colombian Romosinuano and the Texas Longhorn.[9]: 1401 

The Corriente is small, with an average weight of 363 kg for cows and 454 kg for bulls.[3]: 159  It is lean, agile and athletic.[3]: 159  The horns come straight out and then curve forward and often slightly upward;[citation needed] they are heavy but not particularly long. The coat may be of any color but pure white.[3]: 159  Solid, brindle and paint colors are seen.[2]

Use

The Corriente is primarily used for rodeo sports such as team roping and steer wrestling.[10]: 62  It either is[8]: 10  or is not[11] also reared for beef; cattle no longer suitable for rodeo work may be fattened for slaughter.[8]: 10  The meat is included in the Ark of Taste of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.[11]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corriente cattle.
  1. ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b Breed data sheet: Corriente / United States of America (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  4. ^ a b Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN 9781789241532.
  5. ^ Marleen Felius (1995). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. ISBN 9789054390176.
  6. ^ John E. Rouse (1973). Cattle of North America. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806110233.
  7. ^ History of Corriente. North American Corriente Association. Accessed January 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Corriente New Member Brochure. North American Corriente Association. Archived 31 August 2013.
  9. ^ a b Emily Jane McTavish (2013). New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (15): E1398–E1406. doi:10.1073/pnas.1303367110.
  10. ^ Dean M. Anderson, Rick E. Estell, Alfredo L. Gonzalez, Andres F. Cibils, L. Allen Torell (2015). Criollo cattle: Heritage Genetics for Arid Landscapes. Rangelands. 37 (2): 62-67. ISSN 0190-0528. doi:10.1016/j.rala.2015.01.006.
  11. ^ a b Corriente Cattle. Ark of Taste. Bra, Cuneo: Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità Onlus. Accessed January 2023.
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