The Corriente breed can be traced back to the first cattle brought to the new world by the Spanish as early as 1493. These cattle were hardy breeds chosen especially to withstand the ocean crossing and adapt to their new land. They were brought to the West Indies and South Florida, as well as to Central and South America. Over the centuries the descendants of these cattle were bred for different purposes – milk, meat and draft animals. They also adapted through natural selection to the various regions in which they lived. Eventually, their descendants spread across the southern U.S. and up the cost of California. Nearly pure descendants of the original Spanish cattle almost disappeared, but some managed to survive with little human care or intervention in remote areas of Central and South America, and in some areas of the southern United states.
Descendants of the original Spanish cattle, little influenced by modern breeds, are now seen in remote parts of the country. These are generally known as Criollo cattle, although in the state of Sonora the term Corriente is more common, and in Baja California the word Chinampo is used. All these terms, meaning “common cattle” or “cattle of the country” are applied to more or less pure descendants of the Spanish cattle, as well as to the indiscriminate mixtures of these and more recently introduced breeds.
Names for the breed differ. The official breed registry in the United States calls them Corriente cattle, which is the most common term in Northern Mexico. In other parts of Mexico, they’re called Criollo or Chinampo cattle. They are closely related to two other breeds of cattle from the gulf coast and Florida; the Pineywoods cattle and the Cracker or Florida Cracker cattle. In Florida, the few remaining small, native cattle – cousins of the Mexican Corriente are called Cracker or Scrub cattle and similar cattle in Louisiana are called Swamp cattle. The name Corriente in Central and South America refers to the various descendants of the early Spanish cattle referred to as “Criollo.” In parts of northern Mexico, they are often called “Corriente,” although this term is frequently used for any small cattle of indiscriminate breeding and not just for the type of cattle recognized by the North American Corriente Association Corriente became the most common term used at the border to refer to the cattle purchased for rodeo use. Consequently, most North American cattlemen, ropers and doggers know this name, and it was chosen by the founders of the North American Corriente Association to be used for this registry.
Corrienties are small narrow, lean, agile athletic cattle with well attached medium length, large base, curved horns. Good quality Corriente are fairly small cattle, with cows averaging well under 1,000 pounds. The Corriente bulls average about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. The bulls are short and small with fairly large horns that have a large horn base. They have a long up curving horn. Corrientie cattle do come in a variety of colors however solid colors are a favorite of breeders and associations. Corriente cattle are docile and fairly easy to handle. The Corriente cattle are very heat resistant, and not susceptible to diseases. They can survive on feed that most cattle might pass up. They have been known to eat cactus on a regular basis when food was short. They seldom have horn or foot problems and are more than hardy. They have a thick horn base and structure, these athletic cattle have no comparison when put into different roping events. They are known as “easy keepers” as there is very little human intervention required in their calving, and they eat significantly less than the big beef cattle. Corriente cattle have easy calving and can continue to be fertile under bad conditions. The corriente calves weigh around 35 pounds at birth and are extremely fast and again very hardy. Offspring's size, agility, and health and ability to survive on almost anything have turned many traditional beef ranchers to producers of quality Corrientie cattle. Like Texas longhorns which are considered to be descendants of the Corriente. They require less water and can live on sparse open range. Corrienties are also known as accomplished escape artists, as they can leap a standard barbed-wire fence and squeeze through fairly small openings.
That’s why they are the favorites of ropers and ‘doggers at rodeos. They are primarily used today as sport cattle for rodeo events such as team roping and bulldogging (steer wrestling), although some breeders raise them for their meat, which is significantly leaner than the meat from most modern beef cattle. So you end up with a low cholesterol meat when every other purpose for the cattle is done. We have a saying about our cattle born mountain strong and desert tough.
