The Texas longhorn reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Texas longhorn

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Texas longhorns are a breed of cattle descended from Spanish breeds that escaped settlements in Texas. After living feral for a time they were redomesticated. The breed is known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to six feet in width and have a slight upward turn at their tips.

The hardiness of longhorn cattle made them essential to open-range ranching until the use of barbed wire allowed ranchers to control their herds more closely.