David and Lynda Bradley at Lone Star Longhorns welcome you to our website and invite you to visit us. We have Registered Texas Longhorn cattle in Santa Fe, Texas. A few years ago, we purchased several acres approximately a half mile from our house. After maintaining the land for about a year, we decided to invest in cattle. Lynda had her eye on a small bull calf owned by a nearby neighbor. She stopped by one day to inquire about purchasing the calf and told him she wanted a pasture pet. His advice to her was “Honey, if you want a pet, just buy a dog.” Well, that just made her more determined to buy a cow. We discussed the different types of cattle available and the time needed to spend with them, and began searching for some easy keeper Texas Longhorns. We chose several ranches close enough to make a day trip and set up our appointments. The rest is history. We fell in love with the first one we saw, and then we were on to the other ranches where we saw more beautiful cattle. Because cattle are “herd animals,” we were told to purchase a minimum of two animals. By the time the weekend was over, we agreed to purchase three calves from three different ranches. Not only did we have our new calves, we had made several new friendships that we cherish today.

Our original three heifers have resulted in a herd of 25 fine animals and the purchase of additional land in Centerville, Texas. We were blessed to have quality calves from our first purchases, and since we enjoyed attending the local TLBAA affiliate shows, it was natural for us to enter two calves in our first show. To no surprise, we were hooked. Since that time, we have competed at many large Longhorn shows in Texas and are proud to have raised 1st place class winners, Jr. Champion Females, and Reserve Grand Champion Females.

Shortly after our introduction to the show circuit, we met the program director of the NASA Longhorn Project* in Clear Lake, Texas. After several students and the program coordinator visited our ranch, two of our calves were accepted into the program. The show year was a huge success and before the show season was over, we had donated four calves to the program. The interaction with the NASA Longhorn Project is something we will never forget. We continue to produce high quality show cattle while always looking for new methods to improve our herd. We are pleased to help students earn scholarships while learning and showing the legendary breed of Texas Longhorns.

A labor of love is how we describe our Longhorn business. Most all of our cows are pasture pets, and new calves are halter broke at weaning. In 2004, we attended the Touch and Talk halter breaking and showmanship weekend class at John T and Betty Baker’s ranch in Liberty Hill, Texas. Again, we made new friends and took away a wealth of information. We now use John T’s touch and talk method of halter breaking with all of our calves and encourage anyone working with Longhorns to attend John T’s class. Halter breaking the calves at an early age makes them approachable in the pasture as they grow into adults. You’ll see this when you visit our ranch. Our Longhorns are as Lynda envisioned…pasture pets. As for breeding, we have leased top quality bulls from local Longhorn breeders and artificially inseminated our cows.

*The NASA Longhorn Project is a joint program between NASA, Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA), the Clear Creek Independent School District and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and provides local high school students with hands on experience with Registered Texas Longhorns donated by local breeders and other science projects. The students are responsible for feeding, grooming, and overall care of the cattle throughout the school year. Under the direction of the program coordinator, the students are responsible for transporting and showing the cattle at select shows where they are eligible to win scholarships for higher education.