Shorthorn

History

The breed developed from Teeswater and Durham cattle found originally in the North East of England. In the late eighteenth century, the Colling brothers, Charles and Robert, started to improve the Durham cattle using the selective breeding techniques that Robert Bakewell had used successfully on Longhorn cattle. In 1796, Charles Colling of Ketton Hall, bred the famous Durham Ox. The culmination of this breeding program was the birth of the bull Comet, bred by Charles Colling, in 1804. This bull was subsequently sold for 1000 guineas in 1810 at the Brafferton sale, the first 1000-guinea bull ever recorded. Related cattle may have been imported to the United States by Harry Dorsey Gough of Baltimore, Maryland, before 1808.

At the same time, Thomas Bates of Kirklevington and John Booth of Killesby were developing the Teeswater cattle. The Bates cattle were subsequently developed for their milking qualities, whereas the Booth cattle were developed for their beef qualities. Animals taken to Scotland in 1817 from the Booth herd were used to produce the Beef Shorthorn breed.

In 1822, George Coates published the first volume of his herd book; this was the first pedigree herd book for cattle in the world.

Coates published the first four volumes, after which Henry Stafford took over the ownership and publishing of the herd book, retaining the name Coates's Herd Book. The Shorthorn Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded in 1874, and purchased the copyright of the herd book from Strafford. They have continued to compile and publish Coates's Herd Book ever since. The American Shorthorn Herd Book was the first to be published in the United States for any breed and was started in 1846, with the formation of the American Shorthorn Association following 26 years later in 1872.

Tibial hemimelia, a rare genetic disorder, was identified in Canada in 1999 in a small number of Shorthorn cattle, all descended from a single individual.

Distribution

Today, the breed is found mainly in English-speaking countries, and Southern South America. The main countries are: Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. Beamish Museum in north-eastern England preserves the Durham breed.

Australia

Shorthorns were among the first cattle imported into Australia: several cows were brought into New South Wales in 1800. More were imported in 1825 by Potter McQueen of Scone. Nine months later, the Australian Agricultural Company imported additional Shorthorns, and in the 1930s, Thomas Simpson Hall, the breeder of the Halls Heeler, imported Durham Shorthorns from which he developed extensive herds of Poll Shorthorns.

Shorthorns have contributed to the development of breeds such as the Belmont Red and Santa Gertrudis.

References

References

1. Friend, John B., ''Cattle of the World'', Blandford Press, Dorset, 1978, {{ISBN. 0-7137-0856-5
2. Morgantown]]), 2003. Accessed 20 October 2013.
3. Beef Breeders' Annual, An [[Inverell Times]] supplement, Shorthorn breed arrived with the First Fleet, July 2008
4. [http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/37/5/508 Tibial Hemimelia, Meningocele, and Abdominal Hernia in Shorthorn Cattle, J. M. Lapointe, S. Lachance and D. J. Steffen, Veterinary Pathology 37: 508 – 511, 2000] Retrieved on 10 November 2008
5. Howard, A. J. (Bert). (1990). "Over-Halling the Colony". Southwood Press.
6. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to: [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn. 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
7. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/rW2t_aNvSzqWxbk9s3L1Tw The Durham Ox]. ''A History of the World in 100 Objects''. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. Accessed October 2025.
8. 9781780647944.
9. [https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=GBR&specie=Cattle&breed=Beef%20Shorthorn Breed data sheet: Beef Shorthorn / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2025.
10. [https://dadis-transboundary-ext-ws.web.app/?species=Cattle&transboundary=Devon&lang=en Transboundary breed: Devon]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2025.
11. Bruce Mackay (14 June 2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20091016134911/http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef/breeding/breeds/shorthorn Cattle breeds: Shorthorn]. Series: Agfact A2.3.41. Orange, New South Wales: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Archived 16 October 2009.
12. 9789004449015.
13. [https://www.rbst.org.uk/dairy-shorthorn-original-population Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population)]. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed October 2025.
14. [https://www.rbst.org.uk/whitebred-shorthorn2 Whitebred Shorthorn]. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed October 2025.
15. [https://www.rbst.org.uk/northern-dairy-shorthorn2 Northern Dairy Shorthorn]. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed October 2025.