The English Longhorn is a versatile breed of cattle bred for meat, milk and once used as a draft animal. As the name suggests, the breed has a long horn and originated in Craven in northern England.
It is also known by other names such as Longhorn, Dishley, Lancashire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire. These animals were the first breed to be improved by Robert Bakewell of Leicestershire, England in the mid-1700s.
Bakewell was the first to use the technique of inbreeding in cattle breeding. And he chose the English breed of Longhorn cattle for the rapid growth and heavy back of these animals.
Bakewell’s breeding efforts made the breed the most widely used animal in England and Ireland until it was overtaken by Shorthorn cattle in the early 1800s.
The overall population of the English Longhorn declined rapidly for nearly 200 years until the breed was rescued by the RBST (Rare Breeds Survival Trust). Thanks to the efforts of RBST, 1980 animals were registered out of 255.
The English Longhorn is currently available in the UK, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand. Learn more about the breed below.
The English Longhorn is a medium sized animal and both bulls and cows have long horns. They are mostly red, brown, gray or white in color.
Their horns are very long and curved around the nose. There is a white spot along the line of their spine and under the belly. They have a lot in common with the Texas Longhorn cattle breed.
The average height of adult bulls is around 150 cm at the withers. And cows are much smaller than bulls, and their average size ranges from 130 to 140 kg.
Adult bulls weigh on average about 1000 kg. And the average live weight of mature cows ranges from 500 to 600 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
The English Longhorn is bred primarily as a meat breed. They are mainly used for meat production, but are also used for milk production. Previously, they were used for editorial purposes.
Special Notes
The English Longhorn is a long-lived and fairly healthy animal. They are generally very friendly and have a relatively submissive nature. They are well behaved animals and very easy to control. They live surprisingly longer than other cattle breeds and the cows are known for their calving ease.
Cows are excellent mothers and very effective guardians of their calves. Cows are quite good at milk production and provide enough milk for their calves. They are currently grown primarily for meat production and produce very good quality meat. See the complete profile of this breed in the following table.
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| Breed name | english longhorn | |
| another name | Longhorn, Dishley, Lancashire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire | |
| Purpose of the breed | Mainly meat, but also milk and draft oil. | |
| Special Notes | Good quality milk, obedient temperament, relatively calm demeanor, well adapted to the natural climate, suitable for meat, cows are protective mothers. | |
| Breed size | medium | |
| Bulls | About 1000kg | |
| cows | From 500 to 600 kg | |
| climatic tolerance | native climate | |
| coat color | Usually red, brown, gray and white | |
| horned | Yes | |
| milk production | Good | |
| scarcity | general | |
| Country/place of origin | England |
