Sharing something I found interesting. Perhaps this will be educational to some and simply nostalgic to others. I’m sharing a photo of an article about HS Rodeo Drive from the September 2001 issue of Shorthorn country. The article was announcing that Rodeo Drive was put down after suffering a broken shoulder while breeding cows naturally at 14 years old. Pretty incredible longevity for a show bull. I thought Doc Hunsley was honest in his assessment. He was big, but certainly prepotent. There is a lot of intrigue and back story to Rodeo Drive, some true some exaggerated gossip, but he made a mark in an era that was really transitional and in hindsight very strange.
Without him,Ayatollah’s reign would have been extended and that wouldn’t have been good. Rodeo Drive had a tight grip on the breed until two bulls, born 6 years after him in the spring of 1993, would take over and drastically change the breed again - CF Trump and AHL Double Stuff.
An odd thing about Rodeo Drive is he had sons that were absolute giants marketed as sure fire growth bulls (like Chaps) and others marketed as calving ease (Mel Bar Rodeo Drive). Another interesting thing was his daughters were awesome cows (albeit big) with amazing udders.
Something stood out in the article, while the counts of progeny are big for shorthorns, I think it’s indicative of how or why progress is slow. Compared to other breeds the numbers are very small. Imagine the progress that could be made if a dozen bulls were siring 1,000 plus calves a year with accurate data collection from birth to harvest. The numbers in the tests being conducted today seem inconsequential.
I’d love to hear any Rodeo Drive stories that y’all may have, or thoughts on where the breed was at that time and the changes that ensued.
Warmly,
R180
Ps I hope there are real people who still follow this site. Although I never really engaged, and still prefer anonymity, I’ve followed for 10 years or so and enjoyed the knowledge that was shared
Without him,Ayatollah’s reign would have been extended and that wouldn’t have been good. Rodeo Drive had a tight grip on the breed until two bulls, born 6 years after him in the spring of 1993, would take over and drastically change the breed again - CF Trump and AHL Double Stuff.
An odd thing about Rodeo Drive is he had sons that were absolute giants marketed as sure fire growth bulls (like Chaps) and others marketed as calving ease (Mel Bar Rodeo Drive). Another interesting thing was his daughters were awesome cows (albeit big) with amazing udders.
Something stood out in the article, while the counts of progeny are big for shorthorns, I think it’s indicative of how or why progress is slow. Compared to other breeds the numbers are very small. Imagine the progress that could be made if a dozen bulls were siring 1,000 plus calves a year with accurate data collection from birth to harvest. The numbers in the tests being conducted today seem inconsequential.
I’d love to hear any Rodeo Drive stories that y’all may have, or thoughts on where the breed was at that time and the changes that ensued.
Warmly,
R180
Ps I hope there are real people who still follow this site. Although I never really engaged, and still prefer anonymity, I’ve followed for 10 years or so and enjoyed the knowledge that was shared