Spirited breeds
Quick, alert and hard to handle: the Lidia, the Camargue and the bulls of the contests.
Spirited cattle are quick, alert and hard to handle. They react fast, defend themselves and their calves, and do not take easily to close confinement. Some breeds have kept this nature because they live half-wild, others because people bred them for contests. The Lidia, bred for the bullring, is the extreme case. The black Camargue cattle of the Rhône delta, the Hérens of the Swiss Valais and the Betizu of the Basque mountains are spirited breeds of Europe. In India, the Bargur, Pulikulam and Kangayam bulls of Tamil Nadu are known for their fire.
Bred for spirit
In most breeds, farmers select against nervous or aggressive animals. In a few, spirit has been prized. The Lidia, or Spanish fighting bull, has been selected for centuries for its readiness to charge, and breeding ranches test young cows for bravery. In the Camargue, the black Raço di Biòu cattle run in semi-wild herds managed by mounted herders, the gardians, and the bulls take part in the course camarguaise.
The fiery breeds of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has several breeds with a name for spirit. The Bargur, from the forested Bargur hills of Erode, is a fast, restless draught breed that is difficult to train. The Pulikulam herds of Madurai and Sivaganga provide many of the bulls for jallikattu. The Kangayam, though a strong working breed, is also used in jallikattu, and the hill cattle called malai maadu are spirited forest grazers. A bull known for its spirit in the contest brings honour to its village.
Fighting cows of the Alps
The Hérens is a compact, black cow of the Valais in Switzerland. Hérens cows naturally fight to set their herd order when they go up to summer pasture, pushing head to head. These contests are organised as the combats de reines, the battles of the queens, where the winning cow becomes the queen of her herd. The contests are rarely harmful, since the losing cow simply walks away.
Worth knowing
- Lidia: Spanish fighting bull, bred for the bullring
- Raço di Biòu: Black semi-wild cattle of the Camargue
- Hérens: Black Swiss cow known for the combats de reines
- Betizu: Semi-wild cattle of the Basque mountains
- Bargur: Restless, fast draught breed of the hills of Erode
- Pulikulam: Tamil Nadu breed known for jallikattu bulls
- Kangayam: Strong Tamil Nadu breed also used in jallikattu
Good to know
- Handle spirited breeds with strong yards, crushes and escape routes for people.
- Avoid separating spirited cattle from the herd for long; they calm down in company.
Sources and further reading
- Spanish Fighting Bull on Wikipedia
- Hérens cattle, Wikipedia
- Bargur cattle, Wikipedia
- Combat de Reines, Wikipedia
Original text by the EveryCow desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Spirited on EveryCow
The breeds written up so far, best known first.