Beauty

Beauty

Beauty ~~ I first heard of Beauty in the mid seventies. Before Milby Butler died, Pauline Russell, a very dear friend, had been given the pick of the Butler cattle. As a result she owned or bred Classic, Reveille, Butler Boy, Lady Butler, Monarch and Bevo. Beauty was bred in a multiple sire herd with Bevo and 2 to 4 sons all at the same time. Although registrations were done as accurate as possible even Bevo could have been one of her sons. Some think Holman B1 was her son.

I was excited about the Butler cattle family and wanted to develop those genetics and put together as many of the best ones as possible. I started calling Pauline and getting bits and pieces of the Pauline/Butler history. Although some dark side history in and out of court made Pauline spooky to talk about the history, over several phone calls and many months I pieced together as much history as possible for a TLJ article of never before mentioned history. She finally agreed to visit with me in person, so a date was arranged.

This meeting was big to me. I was excited. I wanted to get the factual info down in print and I wanted to see Beauty, and most of all I wanted to own her real bad.

I flew to Houston, rented a car and checked in a $15 motel in Liberty, Texas about 4 miles down the road from Pauline's. On arrival I called her. She let the air out of my sails quick. As I planned to make this all important visit she informed me, "I have a nigger boy coming to work tomorrow in my lawn and garden. I need to get this garden done. I won't have time to talk this trip. Call me another time." Well, I had gone to Texas for only one reason and this "boy" was helping with Pauline's yard. I was devastated.

Rather than go to Colorado and return, I waited the "boy" out and the lawn got fixed in a couple days. Then I called, and after a lengthy series of problems I did get to interview her, work on the registration papers and register the Beauty family (details in full are in the eBook FILLET OF HORN II)

Beauty was being boarded at Dr. Booster Stevens south of Liberty. Booster owned Reveille, a Beauty son and was breeding Beauty to her son in her old age. Pauline had a deal where they would be partners on the resulting calf but she didn't have to pay board. I tried to buy Beauty. I tried to buy out Booster's deal with Beauty -- no deal, no way.

While at Booster's place we looked at Beauty. We grabber her by the horn tips and measured her and she was breathing on 60" T2T. This was the most horn ever measured on any TL cow. I had to have her. Yet,no matter what I did, I would never be able to own Beauty.

As I mentioned to others about this wonderful cow, unknown to me, Charlie Schreiner III of YO fame also wanted Beauty and so did Red McCombs. Although the details of the conversations are sketchy at best, over the following weeks Charlie III made friends with Pauline. Charlie was a cactus plant professional. He brought rare cactus species from all over the world and made cuttings there at the YO, transplanting them, creating the vast unique landscapes around the headquarters.

Although joking in nature, it was reported that Charlie III went to Pauline's and worked with her in the garden and lawn for most of a hot Texas day. He swept Pauline off her feet with his charm and volunteer gardening skills. He actually beat my time on his knees in the garden. He replaced the "boy," worked free, and that was the trick. Right after the tulip bulbs were planted, he had bought Beauty, partnered her with Red McCombs and she went to the YO. I never heard what Booster got out of it? Maybe Charlie did a little landscaping for him.

Beauty was old, nearly twenty, that is if anyone really knew her age. She gave birth to YO Centennial Beauty, another white bull. Even though I could not get Beauty bought I was able to deal with Charlie and Red to take her to Colorado and do embryo transplants on the halves. We operated the leading private embryo facility in the nation and specialized in TL cows.

Beauty's top weight with worming, perfect care and all the high altitude feed she could enjoy was 525 lbs. It was too late. She was too old. We never got a good embryo from her. We sent her back to Texas and the last I saw her, her head hung at the YO Hilton in Kerrville.

Beauty is one of the three cows found in TL pedigrees the most. She probably is found in more pedigrees than WR 1005, Doherty 698 and Measles. Beauty, her sons and lineage added horn to the breed in the seventies and eighties more than any other cow's contribution.

You see her way back in the pedigrees of Cowboy Tuff Chex, Coach, Top Caliber, Tabasco, Clear Win, Tempter, Drag Iron, Rodeo Max, Lazyj's Bowhunter, etc.

For the over 90" cow division Beauty is in the pedigree of BL Rio Catchit and RM Miss Kitty. Then, to wrap up this great foundation cow's contribution -- YO Centennial Beauty sired Miss RM Beauty, the dam of GMR "Blue Grass" 1182, the dam of over 90" Shadow Jubilee.

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