Classic Bulls, A to H

Prominent Heritage (Native) Shorthorn Bulls Born 1950 to 1985

To help familiarize people with the genetic background of Modern Shorthorns, the Heritage Shorthorn Society is furnishing brief summaries, pictures, and pedigree links of many of the important Heritage Shorthorn bulls that were born between 1950 and 1985.  Early research utilizing frozen semen in cattle breeding took place in the 1930’s and 1940’s but became more accessible to cattle breeders after 1950.  Semen is still available on most of the bulls listed below; however HSS is not aware of any Shorthorn semen produced before 1950 that is available today.  (Additional bulls from the "Classic" period may be added over time.)   Information on more recent bulls (born after 1985) is readily available from various sources.

For those who are Shorthorn history buffs there is much more information available on these bulls through many of the books listed on our Book Reference Page,  old “Shorthorn World” magazines (many of which can be accessed through Google),  "Steer Planet" website key word searches, and/or direct internet searches.  Information and photos on additional bulls are also posted on the Shorthorn Select Genetics Website in the Reference Bulls section.

Information on individual bulls is posted alphabetically below, after the index.  The tan registration numbers in the bull information write ups are clickable links to ASA pedigrees. All of these “Classic” Bulls are Verified Heritage.

The pictures of the "classic" bulls in these write-ups vary in clarity because the original photos were often small &/or of poor quality.

His sire, Ball Dee Perfect Count had a consistent track record for size and growth rate. This tremendous son, Aberfeldy Supreme (“Feldy”), excelled in the production of offspring that consistently won Sire Feedlot tests. “Feldy” was ahead of his time in terms of Average Daily Gain. He was the Canadian-American Champion for Average Daily Gain (ADG) of 4.4 lbs. on the Official Canadian Government Test, which even today would be considered exceptional. His smooth thick structure was often amplified in his offspring, and in the USA he was primarily used for producing commercial type bulls.

Abraham is a a Graham Land & Livestock Company bull.  His dam is the famous Thornwood Royal Dot who is also the dam of Thornwood Major, listed in our semen inventory.  His sire is Columbus who is also listed in our semen inventory.  Abraham was used extensively in the early 1980’s with a long list of registered offspring.  He was a large (2400#) bull that combined depth, smoothness, and muscle.  He was truly a dual purpose bull bringing milk and beef together.

Acadia Champagne 3 is a son of Melbros Stronghold and he was a National Carcass bull Champion.  He has a tremendous linebred pedigree incorporating Weston breeding and Killearn Max Juggler multiple times in his pedigree.  Acadia was a very thick bull in the 2200#  range.  He was used for many years in the Woodside herd in Pennsylvania with great success--he sired many show and sale winners for the Woodside farm.

Alta Cedar Royal Oak 144F

Registr. # 3613945 Birth Date: 3/26/1974

Sire: Banner Royal Oak ASA # 3559008

Dam: Wallern Sandra C551724

Royal Oak was a Canadian bull that became the herd sire at Arrowhead Farms in Metcalf, Illinois. His sire, Banner Royal Oak, had an extensive track record in siring consistent top level offspring in Canada. 144F offers an extremely rare pedigree on the dam side.

Ball Dee Perfect Count was bred by David Ball of Alberta, Canada. Half interest was sold to Kenbar Stock Farms in Derwent, Alberta, Canada. He became a vary popular bull in both the USA and Canada with semen sold through New Breeds Industries and Wester Breeders. His size, 2700# plus, contributed to his popularity as most breeders at that time were trying to move beyond “Belt Buckle” Shorthorns. He was a 100% dehorner (homozygous polled).

Banner Royal Oak

Registr. # 3559008 Birth Date: 5/3/1970

Sire: Boa Kae Trailmaker xC423030

Dam: Blue Rock Roan Lily 2 C559729

Banner Royal Oak was used as the herd sire in both the Banner and Alta Cedar herds in Canada. He was a long. stout bull that embodied many of the characteristics Shorthorn breeders today are looking for in a herd bull. Many of his offspring were successful in both the barn and the show ring.

Barrington Hardy was the sire of the Grand Champion bull and cow in 1961 and the grand Champion cow in 1962. He was also a winning show bull himself. He was extensively used via artificial insemination. He was eventually purchased by ABS and his semen was used for several more years. He was said to weigh in the 2500# range.

Boa Kae Royal Oak comes from the Canadian herd of Berwyn & Lita Wise.  He was used extensively by W. T. Bennett (Hilldale herd in Washington) crossing him on Hilldale Commander and Hilldale Geronimo daughters.  His daughters have excellent udders and are very smooth muscled. Structurally he carried a lot of muscling without the fat of many bulls of his time.  The Shorthorn World 1972 Herd Bull issue carried an ad by the Urice Bros. regarding Boa Kae Royal Oak where Al Wright (managing partner of Trademark Herefords) said "he is the largest, most correct and best Shorthorn bull I have ever seen...very heavy muscled."

Butte Lee Leader 45th was a Canadian bull that sired the top individual and top gaining group at the Douglas, Manitoba test station in 1970.  He comes from the famous Canadian herd of A. E. Philpott of Central Butte, Saskatchewan.  His pedigree is laced with famous productive Canadian Shorthorn genetics.

Nicknamed “Tiny Tim”, Leader 63rd was actually quite a large bull for his time.  He was a heavily muscled bull that came from the A. E. Philpott herd located in Central Butte, Saskatchewan, Canada.  His dam traces to the Carona Fascination bull that was in the pedigrees of many of the best Shorthorns of the time.  Leader 63rd was medium framed but brought “a lot to the table”.

Canadian Image was a large smooth muscled bull that was dual purpose and weighed over 2400#’s. He was raised by Canadians William & Robert Creighton and sold to Ernie Esau of elmCreek, Manitoba. He was an extremely popular bull and at the time of the dispersal he sold to a New York buyer and called the “salvation of the Shorthorn breed”. Shorthorns were coming out of their “dark belt buckle period” and many saw Canadian Image as the future of the breed.

Cherry Duke 63 5 is grandson of the famous Par Defender bull. Cherry Duke traces back closely to some extremely old Dual Purpose genetics on both sides of his pedigree.

Clark was a large framed bull that tended to the dairy side of Dual Purpose Shorthorns that was bred by the Graham Land & Livestock Co. of Minnesota.  He was an extremely popular bull of the late 1970’s and early 80’s utilized by many Shorthorn breeders to move away from “belt buckle” (small) cattle and return to more normal standard size Shorthorns.  A search of modern day Shorthorn pedigrees will show the influence of Clark.

Clayside Counseler was bred by Elmer Von Tunglen of Clayside Farm in Verden, Oklahoma. He was a classic Dual Purpose that excellent milk production on his dam’s side. He was used in both in the Clayside herd and Oakridge Farm (G. M. & Linda Kahoa) in Cheyenne, Oklahoma.

Colomeadow Sting Ray was the first Shorthorn Certified Meat Sire. He was bred Colomeadow Ranch owned by John Shuman in Byers, Colorado. He was purchased by Amour &Co. and Dale Petty of Eldora, Iowa. Sting Ray exhibited the thickness breeders were looking for at the time and undoubtably has the intermuscular marbling to with it.

Graham Land & Livestock of Waverly, Minnesota were also the breeders of Columbus.  He was a leading sire of both performance and show cattle in the early 1970’s.   His offspring included Grand Champion bulls and females at the National Western, Canadian Agribition,  North American Expo, and the Polled Shorthorn Congress.  He had a mature weight of 2450# and his calves had excellent rates of growth.  Milk production and udders were very good in his daughters.  Columbus was a complete breeding bull.

Crestdale Super Flag 14G was purchased at the Regina, Saskatchewan Bull Sale for $41,500.00 by a syndicate of 5 breeders in 1977.  He went on to be Grand Champion Beef Shorthorn Bull at the 1980 World Shorthorn Congress in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Probably his most famous son is another Canadian bull-Manitoba Sunrise.  14G weighed 2700# as a 3 year old.

Crestdale Super Flag 16G is a Canadian bred Mandalong Super Flag son that sold at the Regina bull sale in 1977.  His mother was a super cow that was true Dual Purpose breeding tracing back to British Dairy Shorthorn breeding.

Cromellar Super Max

Registr. # 3546829 Birth Date: 1966

Sire: Superman xCB432622

Dam: Cromellar Ballet Beth x3582857

In his pedigree, Super Max, brings together two dominant Shorthorn bloodlines at that time--Pleasant Dawn Seal and TPS Coronet Leader 21st. He is a Canadian bred bull that originated in the Morris Senkiw herd in Cromer, Manitoba, Canada.

Eionmor Mr Gus 80C

Registr. # 3944295 Birth Date: 3/19/1993

Sire: GAFA MOCHICAN # xC457263

Dam: Eionmor Camelot Ruby 94T #xC645681

Mr. Gus was a Canadian bull that was used extensively in both Canada and the USA. His daughters were very feed efficient with excellent milk production, and thickness. Mr. Gus 80C continues to be a bull that is sought by many breeders today; however almost none of his semen still exists.

FA Warrior was a product of the Frosty Acres breeding program run by the Albaughs of Fallon, Nevada. Warrior has muscling to the extreme although his stature tended to the smaller size.

He was used in several breeding programs including at the Albaughs.

Major Duke has a strong pedigree that includes Nelco McLeod, Spiro, and the 1975 National Champion Bull Hilltop Lancer 457. He was a product of the Fieser’s breeding program in Plains, Kansas. Major Duke was a smooth, well balanced bull that was Dual Purpose both in makeup and pedigree. He was used in several herds in Oklahoma.

Finial C Favorite was a more dairy oriented bull and came from the herd of Finial Farm located in Garden City, Kansas. He was sold to G. M. Kahoa of Cheyenne, Oklahoma and Earl Fieser of Norwich, Kansas. He was the reserve senior Champion at the Fort Worth Stock Show in 1977.

Four Point Major (known as Massive Major to many breeders) weighed in the 2600-2700# range. What set him apart was his ruggedness, size, thickness, and longevity.  In some ways he was a bull ahead of his times.  His daughters were especially good with excellent udders. 

He was a dark roan, polled bull that sold in 1946 for $4000 to Lynnwood Farm in Carmel, Indiana.  His picture was used as a representation of the "Ideal Shorthorn", and it was part of the logo for the Polled Shorthorn Registry Certificates.   (Because he was born prior to 1950, he will be "moved" to the Historical Shorthorns section of this website as it's developed).

Great White Hope

Registr. # 3558438 Birth Date: 10/20/1973

Sire: Columbus ASA # x3540006

Dam: Clayside Cindy 2nd ASA # 3547331

This is a son of Columbus and the great Clayside Cindy 2D cow (who in her prime weighed over 2000#). ABS ultimately purchased the semen rights on Great White Hope. Most breeders believe that he was the thickest bull that Columbus sired. Great White Hope also had a very successful show career.

GX Ridge Runner was sired by Columbus and owned by the Tacoma Cattle Company (Duane Sicht). He was a medium size (2300# plus) bull know for his gentle disposition. In fact he made an appearance on the Capitol Lawn in Jefferson City, Missouri in a promotion for Beef during May. He was used by many Shorthorn breeders during the early to mid-80’s with many winning offspring. 

He was sired by Spiro who was undoubtably the most muscled of all the Graham bulls in the early 70’s.  His dam is Miss Springfield 2nd, who was a tremendous cow for the Grahams.  She incorporated the best genetics of the time as a linebred cow.  Her genetics include Scottshill Major Clark on both sides and the famous Thornwood Royal Dot cow who was also the dam of Abraham and Thornwood Major.  In addition she is the grand dam of Albo.

HHKA Buttercups Prince 20th was bred by Hub’s Shorthorns of Norton,  Kansas.  He is a linebred bull that through his sons, such has Hub’s Director and Hub’s Exceptional, he has had a significant impact on the Shorthorn breed.  He presents true dual purpose characteristics both in his genotype and phenotype.

Hilldale Commander was bred by J. W. Bennett of Oakville, Washington who owned the Hilldale herd.  Commander was never defeated in a show—as a 2 year old he capped his show career by being named Grand Champion bull at the the P. I. show (Pacific International) in 1959. One of his sons (Hilldale Commander’s Hero) was Grand Champion National Polled Shorthorn in 1965. Cattle out of him were top gainers and good carcass cattle.  He sired many champions at major shows and consignment sales.  His daughters were big cows that made tremendous brood cows—smoothly muscled, and great milkers with good clean udders.

Hilldale Geronimo also came from the W. T. Bennett Hilldale herd at Connell, Washington.  He is half brother to the Hilldale Commander bull as they both have the same sire.  Structurally he is very similar to Hilldale Commander but overall perhaps slightly smaller.  During his time he was used on more commercial cows than any other beef bull at All West Sires.

Lancer 457 was the National Champion bull in 1975. He had the size and scale breeders were looking for at that time. He was used extensively in the Millvale herd in Fordville, North Dakota. A search of Shorthorn pedigrees even today will show far his reach was within the Shorthorn breed.

Hillview Hobo outbred himself in many ways. His most famous offspring would be Canadian Image. A description of him is included in this bull listing. He was used by both American and Canadian Shorthorn breeders at the zenith of his breeding career. Hillview Hobo consistently added depth and thickness to his offspring.

Hub’s Director was the epitome of a true dual purpose bull.  His dam (HKKA Fantastic) was literally a fantastic cow who was productive through her 16th year with 11 registered offspring.  Hub’s Director was used extensively in many Shorthorn breeding programs in the USA and Canada.  He had excellent smooth natural muscling that was transmitted to his sons and daughters.  

Dominator was used successfully in the HUB’s herd for several years. He was a medium size bull that had good muscle expression that passed through to his calves. His sire, the famous Hub’s Director, was was one of the most popular bulls of his time. The Fantasy cow line incorporated the best of Hub’s breeding.

Hub’s Impact II is a prototypical example of the bulls coming out the Hub’s breeding program in Kansas during the 70’s and 80’s. Hub’s were not coddled. They all had muscular thickness with excellent structure. Impact II’s sire HHKA Buttercup’s Prince is also the sire of Hub’s Director and the grandsire of Hub’s Dominator.