The Corriente is an American

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of small

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, used principally for

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

events. It derives from Criollo Mexicano stock, which in turn descends from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by the

Conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

, and introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico. A

breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

, the North American Corriente Association, was formed in 1982.

History

Iberian cattle were brought to the Americas by the

, and were introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico. From these the various types or breeds of Criollo Mexicano have developed. Small cattle for use in

events were exported to the United States in large numbers from the Mexican states of Chihuahua and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, although in the late twentieth century this became difficult as a result of stringent border regulations. In Chihuahua annual exports were in the region of 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'. When a

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. The

foundation stock Foundation stock or foundation bloodstock refers to animals that are the progenitors, or foundation, of a breed or of a given bloodline within such. Many modern breeds can be traced to specific, named foundation animals, but a group of animals may ...

of the Corriente breed included some

Florida Scrub Florida scrub is a forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen Xerophyte, xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Becau ...

cattle and other similar cattle from Louisiana. In 2010 the number of breeding cows was . In 2016 there were 114 breeders of the Corriente.

Characteristics

Like other

Criollo cattle ''Criollo'' (or Creole) is a group of cattle breeds descended from Iberian Peninsula, Iberian stock imported to the Americas. The cattle were imported through the Columbian exchange, Columbian Exchange during his second visit to the Caribbean. Cr ...

of the Americas and many breeds of southern Europe, the Corriente is principally of

taurine Taurine (), or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is a naturally occurring amino sulfonic acid that is widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine. It is named after Latin (cogna ...

(European) derivation, but has a small admixture of

indicine The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump on their ...

genetic heritage; this may be a consequence of gene flow across the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...

from cattle of African origin dating to before the time of the Spanish Conquest. A

single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping SNP genotyping is the measurement of genetic variations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between members of a species. It is a form of genotyping, which is the measurement of more general genetic variation. SNPs are one of the most common ...

study in 2013 found the level of zebuine introgression in the Corriente to be approximately , not significantly different from that seen in the Colombian

Romosinuano The Romosinuano is a breed of cattle native to Colombia. Its name derives from the fact that the breed is polled (''romo'') and that it originated from the Sinú River valley (''sinuano''). Romosinunao are a criollo type, developed from the horn ...

and the

Texas Longhorn The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors from the ti ...

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

Use

The Corriente is primarily used for rodeo sports such as

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a Cattle#Terminology, steer (typically a Corriente) and two equestrianism, mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the fr ...

and

steer wrestling Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance so that it fall ...

. It either is or is not also reared for beef; cattle no longer suitable for rodeo work may be fattened for slaughter. The meat is included in the

Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.

References

Cattle breeds originating in the United States {{bots, deny=Citation bot