About Fairlea Longhorn Ranch

About Fairlea Longhorn Ranches

Philosophy

We raise Texas Longhorn cattle in both California and Texas (see below). Our goal is simple - to provide our customers with a selection of the very finest examples of the breed.

Our quest for the best began in 1995 with a fascination about the size and varied shapes of the horns of these magnificent beasts. As we have since expanded not only our herd but also our knowledge base, we have come to focus to the whole animal, making certain that our herd had more than just horn producing genetics and was in balance. As a result, we now have (we think) an outstanding herd of truly long horned animals that also have good frame size, thickness, depth and conformation, as well as calm dispositions, and lots of color.

We have always believed that a good herd starts with a good bull. They are, after all, responsible for 50% of the genetics of the offspring of each cow. Our philosophy has been to make certain that no cow on our property ever has a calf whose total pedigree we aren’t proud of. Obviously not all calves combine the best genes of both parents; however, we make certain that they all are conceived with a chance at greatness.

Since 1997 we have had the good fortune to own several truly outstanding bulls. From 1997 to 2003 we proudly owned LL Wrangler. Wrangler, was an extremely gentle and very correct and beefy bull with a 63.75” tip to tip horn measurement. He gave us numerous wonderful calves, nearly all of whom possess that same gentle disposition, beefiness and fabulous lateral horn growth for which he has become famous. It’s probably fair to say that Wrangler and the national reputation he gained through his offspring put our ranch on the map.

In 1998 we acquired JK Creekmore. Creekmore weighed 1820 lbs in pasture condition and had a 61" tip to tip horn span. By the time of his death in 2002 he had sired over 170 registered offspring. His reputation for both long horned and excellent show animals lives on through his offspring who are highly sought after.

In 2003, we purchased a wonderful black bull, Shadow’s Reflection (who we call Flex). Flex has 63.75” TTT, stands 61” high at the hip, and weighs over 1850 lbs. in pasture condition. He is a son of the great Shadow bull, and he is as calm and gentle as Wrangler. He has an impeccable pedigree, and his calves have exceeded our fondest hopes. We are looking forward to many years of production from this terrific bull.

In 2005 we purchased a young bull, BL Lakota Chex. Lakota is a son of Bob Loomis’ great bull, Farlap Chex (66” TTT), and he is out of BL Night Shadow, one of only two black cows whose horns exceed 70”. Lakota was born on October 11, 2003. Based on horn measurements to date, we are projecting him to hit at least the mid 60s by maturity. Lakota adds a strong dose of Butler blood to our herd.

In 2005 we also purchased a ranch in Bowie, Texas (see below), and we bought, for that property, a young bull named MVP. MPV is a son of the great Grand Slam bull (67” tip to tip) and is out of Delta Pia, an Emperor daughter with over 72” of horn tip to tip. With his genetics, and bred to the cows that populate our Texas ranch, the sky is the limit.

In selecting the females for our herd, we have emphasized horn size, pedigree, disposition, and mothering traits. As a result of our search, we now have a core herd of fabulous cows who meet all our criteria. The sires of our cows include, in addition to Wrangler and Creekmore, such well-known names as Phenomenon, Emperor, Dixie Creole, Diego’s Hot Shot, Monarch, Jet Jockey, BLNight Chex, Boomerang and The Shadow among others. We own sixteen cows with horns measuring in excess of 60", including at least four who either are now or are projected to achieve 70+”. We also have a number of younger heifers whose horn will likely meet or exceed that lofty benchmark. Ours is one of the very few herds in the country whose adult females (those five years old and older) average more than 63" in TTT horn length. We invite the reader to visit the “Core Herd” section of this web site to see photographs and backgrounds of some representative examples of the cows in our foundation herd.

California Ranch

Our California ranch is located about 45 minutes north of San Francisco in the small town of Nicasio, which lies in the heart of West Marin County's renowned rolling hills and fertile grasslands. This is where we live, where our love of Texas Longhorns began, and where we will always maintain a major portion of our herd. We welcome visitors and are always happy to show off our animals to other breeders and to anyone interested in owning one or more of these spectacular animals. We also enjoy opening our ranch to school groups to whom we teach the important role which Texas Longhorns played in the early days of this state.

Texas Ranch

In 2005 we decided to expand our operation to Texas where the vast majority of our market is located. We were fortunate to find a beautiful piece of property just outside of Bowie, Texas which is about 70 miles north of Dallas/Ft. Bowie is also the home of our longtime friends, Dan and Lee Tisdale, who, along with Lee’s granddaughter, Melanie (who lives on the property), are the managers of our Texas ranch. We plan, over time, to eventually build the Texas herd to about 60-75 animals.

Fairlea Longhorn Ranches, P.O. Box 526, Nicasio, CA 94946
415-662-2541 (Ranch)
Fax number available upon request.
info@fairlealonghorns.com