The Real Beef - by Leo Camarillo

The other day I was "conditioning" a new herd of roping steers. As usual about half the herd was good'ns the other half were rebels. As I wrestled with the bad habits of a dogged few I explained to one of my students that trueing a herd for practice is guaranteed when you learn and work with your cattle's character and learning cattle charater can give you a leg up in competition. Unfortunately, today's roping pen is crossed with a variety of breeds, so what looks like an orange could in fact be a lemon.
Before I get into the evolution of rodeo cattle I'd like to recognize the creme de la creme for bulldogging and roping, and my personal favorite, to own and rope, the "Chango" (Spanish word money is slang for the Mexican Corriente). Similar to a good breed of horse, the true Mexican-grown Corrientes' solid nature, i.e. athleticism, honesty, durability, and size makes this cattle a quality product (like the Classic nylon rope) that can't be beat. Growing good thick horns that look like a big-ass banana and remain solid and thick from base to tip, Corrientes are the easiest keepers that can survive and thrive on rocks and weeds. Corriente-heifers are proven strong, reliably easy cavers, and when it comes to roping cattle, the Corrientes are second to none. Their unique sense for how to do the job in practice and in rodeo competition makes them invaluable on all levels. Once Corrientes are shown how to load in the chute they'll line up every time, in just about the same order. They'll run straight down the arena and stay true each time. as long as you don't entice mutiny, and by this I mean if there's a hole in the fence they'll use it, for the most part Corrientes will work obediently for a long time. Akin to a good peach tree, if you raise your corriente herd right everything comes out peachy. Unfortunately the Corriente I'm talking about is the Mexican gown Corriente which is the organic version of the breed, and its purity and simplicity guarantees a quality product. Here in America it's hard to get the true "authentic" Corriente because they've been blemished with American domestication, hence a pinch of Brahman, Longhorn, or other cross and too much grass. On the whole, American Corrientes are the best of the American cattle breeds for roping. Just, remember "Brazilian" labeled coffee grown in the domesticated settings of the US ain't the same stuff they grow in the Brazilian tropics. Until next time, that's all I known. (Leo Camarillo - Rodeo Sports News, April 15, 2009).