The Texas Longhorn is an iconic breed, instantly recognizable by its impressive, sweeping horns, a trait that has become synonymous with the American West. These cattle descend from the first livestock brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers centuries ago, developing their distinct hardiness and appearance through natural selection. The remarkable headgear often leads to a common misconception about the animal’s sex, prompting many to believe that only the males possess these defining appendages. This confusion largely stems from the fact that most other horned cattle breeds exhibit a noticeable difference in horn presence or size between the sexes.
The Definitive Answer: Sex Distribution
Texas Longhorns are not all male, and the presence of horns does not determine the animal’s sex. In the Longhorn breed, the gene for horns is not sex-linked, meaning both the male and female populations naturally grow them. A herd of Longhorns will contain mature females (cows), intact males (bulls), and castrated males (steers). The breed’s ability to thrive requires both sexes for reproduction, making an all-male population biologically impossible for a self-sustaining herd. Seeing a Longhorn with long horns is simply a feature of the breed itself.
Horn Development in Both Cows and Bulls
The persistence of horns across both genders sets the Longhorn apart from many other cattle types. While both sexes are horned, there are subtle yet consistent differences in the size and shape of the horns between a bull and a cow. Female horns are longer, more slender, and more graceful, often exhibiting a lateral sweep or twist. Conversely, the horns of intact males are typically thicker at the base, more massive, and frequently grow with a pronounced forward and upward angle. Most mature bulls and cows will possess horns spanning four feet or less from tip to tip.
The longest horn spans recorded in the breed are most often achieved by steers, which are castrated males. The removal of testosterone allows their horns to continue growing longer over a greater number of years than those of an intact bull. Steers can develop horn spreads reaching six feet or more, occasionally pushing past eight feet, making them the most visually spectacular examples of the breed. The sustained growth over a long lifespan produces the immense horn spreads the breed is famous for.
Distinguishing Male, Female, and Castrated Longhorns
Beyond the horns, the physical differences between the three main classifications of Longhorn follow the patterns seen in other cattle. A cow is a mature female that has given birth, characterized by a trim neck and a functional udder when lactating. Bulls, the intact males, are easily identified by their significant secondary sexual characteristics: a large, muscular crest over the neck and shoulders, and a much heavier, blockier overall build. This substantial musculature is a result of higher testosterone levels.
A steer, the castrated male, lacks the muscular neck crest and aggressive temperament of a bull. Physically, a steer’s body condition and profile often resemble that of a mature cow, though they can grow to be much heavier than females. Steers are more docile and easier to handle than bulls, and they are frequently the animals used for exhibitions, parades, and as the eye-catching show animals seen in commercial settings.