The Fort Worth Herd is receiving another Longhorn steer: Texas Red, at seven months, the youngest steer to ever join the Herd, is enroute from Illinois and scheduled to arrive Thursday morning.
The 500-pound steer, a tri-colored brindle with a black face, is coming from a ranch in Illinois. Johnston Legal Group, a Fort Worth law firm that is a member of the Herd board, bought him from a Texas Longhorn breeder and donated him to the Herd, Kristin Jaworski, the Herd’s trail boss, said.
Texas Red is the 19th steer in the Herd, joining recent newcomers James and Joel, donated by a farm in Missouri.
The Herd will look to retire one of its older steers to keep its numbers at 18, Jaworski said.
"I want to use 16 every day and have a couple of spares," she said.
Texas Red, who currently has just nubs for horns, will be an important addition to the Herd’s youth educational programs, Jaworski said.
His horns will reach full length at age 10, so children will be able to see the difference between Texas Red and a mature Longhorn.
"This’ll give the kids an opportunity to learn more about the Texas Longhorn," she said.
Former Fort Worth City Councilman Jim Lane headed up the formation of the Herd in 1999 to honor the city’s heritage. The Herd initially started at 15 steers, one for each decade of the city’s history, and grew from there.
The Longhorns take a twice-daily stroll through the Fort Worth Stockyards and are a popular tourist attraction.
- Scott Nishimura, Star-Telegram Fort Worth City Hall reporter
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