Bovine is a derivative of the latin word bovinus. According to Webster:
Like the word equine, which includes all horses no matter breeding size, color, or sex. bovine does the same for the cattle world. Cattle have horns not antlers. The difference is animals that have antlers shed (lose) them annually, and regrow them the following season. For the most part the male of the species only have antlers. There are exceptions however. On the other hand, horns in the cattle world can be on either gender, or not at all. It all depends on the specific breed, and genetics. They continue to grow from the base of the horn as the animal ages.
bovine: of or pertaining to the subfamily bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus.
The breed of cattle that I raise on my propriety are corrientes. They are a hardy breed that originally came from Mexico. Both sexes have horns. They are smaller in size than other breeds. Corrientes are the primary breed that are used for roping. They are a much leaner animal whose meat is lower in the bad cholesterol and higher in the good cholesterol.
Terminology: cows, bulls, heifers, steers. Here is where people misuse words. Who has ever been driving down a road and saw a herd of cattle? Notice I said cattle and not a herd of cows. If you had said cows you would have only had a one in four chance of being right. In the cattle world bulls are the (functioning, all plumbing is intact) male of the species. Cows are the female of the species that have calved (had a baby). Heifers are females in the species that have not yet calved (had a baby). Steers are the males of the species that have been castrated (plumbing inoperable). So I hope this has cleared up some misconceptions and enlightened you to the world of cattle.
Stay tuned for further Frankly Speaking articles, and the progress of Frank. FYI, the picture of the horse tracking (following) one of my cattle below is Frank. In a previous article I wrote that frank was cowie. This is a term that means a horse is not afraid of cows, and actually, enjoys engaging them.
Happy trails!Jamie
