Anyone that has participated in or followed the bucking bull industry knows one thing — there sure is a lot of black & white out there.

It’s out there in our pastures, out there in the arena, filling our registry and definitely in the winner’s circle. Although some of us know the immediate origin of these white hides highlighted by black noses, eye-rims, hooves and horn tips, few know the ancient history behind the distinctive color pattern. Sure, the majority of our buckers with these features have Tom Harlan and Charlie Plummer to thank immediately, but believe it or not, their story goes back into antiquity nearly 2,000 years.

In reality, very few breeds have a history longer than 200- 300 years, but these cattle are definitely an exception. They can claim with confidence that their ancestors are truly an ancient breed. Their ancient origin can be traced by, what else, those unmistakable, distinct black points. Historically known as Park, White Forest, White Horned, Wild White or White Park Cattle, it has been suggested that they are descended from wild aurochs or domestic cattle introduced by the Romans. The Roman Legions occupied England in B.C.E. and stayed there for 400 years. Both Romans and the native Brits kept white cattle for sacrificial reasons. Rome withdrew from England in 407 AD and tribal wars and chaos went on until 1066 AD. While all this was going on, the white cattle escaped into the wilderness and reverted to a wild condition. For over 700 years they were regarded as “wild game”and hunted.

The original name “Park Cattle”came from the enclosure or “emparking” of vast acres in Britain following the Norman Conquest in 1066 and ensuing centuries. Various kings in the 12th and 13th centuries awarded large land grants to the church and members of their courts. These land grants or estates were thus “emparked”or enclosed by high fences or stone walls. This “emparked”acreage contained many of these wild white cattle and they continued to roam freely on these vast estates. Although many of the details are continually disputed, we do know from the physical descriptions of these cattle in ancient literature that all White Park Cattle, whether horned or polled, can be dated back to the Bronze Age and beyond.

Until the 1800s, the cattle lived and propagated inside these emparkments. It is interesting that when domestication and selective breeding began, the cattle were the result of 1,500 years of “natural selection.”Traits of hardiness, fertility, milkability, longevity, calving ease, low birth weights, disease resistance and an overall ability to survive made them stronger with each consecutive generation. With little to no intervention from people domestically, the genetic base stayed pure as well.