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| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Use | rodeo; beef |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Coat | black, brindle, paint |
| Horn status | long, forward-curving |
| |
TheCorriente is an Americanbreed of smallcattle, used principally forrodeo events. It derives fromCriollo Mexicano stock, which in turn descends from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by theConquistadors, and introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico.[3]: 243
Abreed association, the North American Corriente Association, was formed in 1982.[4]: 50
Iberian cattle were brought to the Americas by theConquistadors, 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 ofCriollo Mexicano have developed.[3]: 243
Small cattle for use inrodeo events were exported to the United States in large numbers from the Mexican states ofChihuahua andSonora, 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 of40000 head, and 'Criollo de Rodeo' became an alternate name for theCriollo di Chihuahua; in Sonora, where theFrijolillo is the predominant Criollo breed, small cattle of any kind were commonly known as 'Corriente', meaning 'running'.[3]: 243 [6] When abreed 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] Thefoundation stock of the Corriente breed included someFlorida Scrub cattle and other similar cattle from Louisiana.[8]: 11
In 2010 the number of breeding cows was1127. In 2016 there were 114 breeders of the Corriente.[3]: 159
Like otherCriollo cattle of the Americas and many breeds of southern Europe, the Corriente is principally oftaurine (European) derivation, but has a small admixture ofindicine genetic heritage; this may be a consequence of gene flow across theStrait of Gibraltar from cattle of African origin dating to before the time of the Spanish Conquest.[9]: 1399 Asingle-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping study in 2013 found the level of zebuine introgression in the Corriente to be approximately10%, not significantly different from that seen in the ColombianRomosinuano and theTexas Longhorn.[9]: 1401
The Corriente is small, with an average weight of363 kg for cows and454 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]
The Corriente is primarily used for rodeo sports such asteam roping andsteer 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 theArk of Taste of theSlow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.[11]
