Rhodopean Shorthorn cattle

Rhodopean Shorthorn cattle are the breed with the least specimens in Bulgaria. It’s a primitive form of Bos Taurus Brachyceros, left unchanged since the Neolithic age until today. Widespread in the past, today this primitive breed is preserved only in the Eastern Rhodopes.

The Rhodopean Shorthorne breed of cattle is the smallest in Europe. The height at the withers is between 90 and 115 cm and the standard weight of adult animals is between 120 and 300 kg. The main and most characteristic marks of the breed are the very short (10-15 cm), dark and brittle horns, aimed slightly on the sides and forth. The dominant coat colours are red-brown and black-brown  with a light ring around the muzzle and a bright line along the back, but there also are gray, yellow, gray-brown and grayish-yellow representatives of the breed. Other features are the primitive furred udders and the darker colour of the hooves and skin of the eyelids and the nose.

Rhodope Shorthorn cattle are extremely well suited for year-round outdoor breeding. The small concise body and well-developed limbs determine the extreme agility of the  breed, which allows them to climb and graze on the steep mountainsides.

The highest number of Rhodopean short-horn cattle today is bred in the region of Madzharovo, Haskovo municipality. Within the project "The New Thracian gold" two pedigree herds are kept in the environmentally protected area Patronka, near Madzharovo and in the large wild area around the abandoned village Sbor, Krumovgrad municipality.

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