History of The American Lineback Cattle Registry

(by Robert Gear, 1986)

Cattle with “Lineback” color patterns have occurred throughout the world in many breeds. In the Texas Longhorn and some African breeds, Lineback patterns occur randomly. In breeds such as the English Longhorn, Gloucester, Pinzgauer, Vosgienne, and the Moiled cattle of Ireland, the Lineback pattern in some form is their identifying characteristic. Others, such as the native Welsh breed, consistently display several “color phases,” of which the “Lineback” is one.

Geneticists recognize two variations of Lineback cattle. The first is known as Gloucester, in which the animal has a dark, usually black or red body with a white dorsal stripe, possibly a star on the face, white tail and belly, and perhaps one or more garters or white bands around the legs, where they join the body. The other, known as Witrick, separates into three major types: the White Classic Witrick, Dark-Sided Witrick, and Dark-Speckled Witrick. The White Classic Witrick is the most prevalent type and has more white on the body and face, with black or red eyes, nose, and ears. Witricks of all patterns can have considerable “speckling or brockling” on the face, body, and legs. The brockling may be in the form of round or elliptical spots, roaning, or both. Of the variations found, the Witrick variety predominates over Gloucester.

The English Longhorn, Irish Moiled, Norwegian Telemark, Swedish Mountain, and Dutch Witrick have the Witrick as their characteristic marking, while the Gloucester pattern, in which brockling does not occur, is exemplified by the English Old Gloucester and the Austrian Pinzgauer.

It is reasonable to assume that Linebacks were among the cattle imported into the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch brought cattle into New York at a time when the Witrick was plentiful, while many British ships coming to America sailed from Bristol, a geographically convenient port for the export of Gloucester and Welsh cattle. Considering that livestock of all classes has been imported to the United States, it is not surprising that we have our own “Lineback breed.”

During the 19th century, progressive American farmers looked again to Europe for improved stock, including Ayrshires, Friesians, Herefords, and Milking Shorthorns, all of which occasionally produced linebacked offspring. These breeds, plus the English Longhorn, probably contributed to the Lineback presence in the United States.

Following World War II, in the stampede for higher yields, dairy farmers increasingly used Holstein bulls to “upgrade” their herds. In New England, these herds were often the old unimproved Durhams or Milking Shorthorns, but in New York, the Midwest, northern Vermont, and neighboring Canada, there were many herds of Linebacks of both types graded up with Holstein bulls. Because the Lineback patterns are genetically strong and the Holstein pattern is weak, the Lineback pattern often persists through many generations of outcrossing.

The sources from which our stock derives and the periods when their ancestors entered U.S. agriculture are conjectural and likely cannot be fully resolved, as documentation is almost nonexistent. Today, there are several thousand Lineback dairy cows in the United States, some essentially Holsteins, some from Milking Shorthorn or other backgrounds, and some quite unique.