LAMPASAS, TX and MOUNTAIN HOME, TX--(MARKET WIRE)--Sep 5, 2008 -- The Y.O. Ranch, in partnership with The Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance (TLMA), announced today that its Y.O. Ranch Longhorn Games and Sale will be held on September 19 and 20.

Source: Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance
(click to enlarge) Dipsey Doll, a six-year-old beauty from Red McCombs ranch in Johnson City, Texas, is one of more than 100 Texas Longhorns that will be auctioned at the Y.O. ·  The Texas Longhorn Alliance ·  Y. O. Ranch

"This year's Games and Sale promises to be a lot of fun as teams square off for some lively competition on Friday and then gather round to sell and buy more than 100 cattle," said Charles Schreiner IV, managing partner of the Y.O. Ranch and great-grandson of former Texas Ranger and Y.O. Ranch founder Charles Schreiner. "We invite the public to come out to the ranch, enjoy the festivities and get a feel for what makes Texas Longhorns so much a part of our Texas heritage."

This annual event celebrates the Y.O. Ranch's Texas Longhorn cattle heritage with an all-day team competition on Friday, followed by one of the largest Texas Longhorn annual auctions on Saturday. While Friday is a full day of fun --- from a biscuit cooking contest, tip-to-tip horn guessing and team cactus pad races to a trail drive, chuckwagon meals, live music, an exotic game tour and more --- Saturday's Texas Longhorn Sale is where the big money will change hands when some of world's finest cattle are sold.

"The Y.O. Ranch Longhorn Games and Sale is one of the Texas Longhorn industry's premier sales event and a great chance for the public to see some of the finest representatives of the species up close," said Wes Chancey, CEO of the TLMA. "It also gives the public a chance to be a part of a growing hobby all across America: breeding and raising Texas Longhorns."

Gates open at 10 am on Saturday for Texas Longhorn sale and admission and lunch is free. The sale begins at noon. More information is located at www.yoranch.com or by calling 1-800-967-2624.

More about Texas Longhorn Cattle

The first cattle introduced to the New World by Spaniards in 1493, longhorns are the only breed of cattle to evolve without human management. They freely roamed West Texas for hundreds of years until American settlers discovered them in 1830s. From 1866 until 1900, enterprising cowboys rounded up an estimated 10 million of head of longhorn cattle and drove them up the Chisholm Trail to railheads in Abilene and Dodge City. Because other breeds of cattle gain weight faster and longhorn meat is leaner, the breed was largely abandoned as a meat source in the early 1900s.

By the 1920s, the Texas Longhorn breed was nearly depleted. The United States Forest Service is credited with saving it by relocating a small herd of breeding stock to a refuge in Oklahoma. A few years later, people like J. Frank Dobie and others began gathering longhorns in Texas state parks to preserve the breed and its place in Texas history. Today there are 2,000 Texas Longhorn breeders in the U.S., including actors Matthew McConaughey and Janine Turner, General Tommy Franks (Ret.), best-selling author Oliver North and Texas entrepreneur and philanthropist Red McCombs, and over 250,000 registered longhorns in North America and other continents. Only the top five to ten percent of Texas Longhorns are considered pedigreed. These cattle sell for tens of thousands of dollars, with a few selling for over $100,000 and one bull bringing in $1 million. A more detailed history of the breed is located on the TLMA website.

About The Y.O. Ranch

Founded in 1880 by Charles Schreiner, the historic 40,000 acre, 128-year-old ranch near Mountain Home in the heart of the Texas Hill Country is famous for its exotic animal photo safaris and hunting, horseback riding, and children's adventure and outdoor skills camps. A popular tourist destination, it is home to over 60 species of animals from Africa, Asia, Australia and South America and the largest herd of quality Texas Longhorns in the world.

About TLMA

The Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance was established in 2007 to promote the dignity and integrity of Texas Longhorn cattle breed and to serve as voluntary stewards of the Longhorn legacy. Headquartered in Lampasas, Texas, TLMA's growing membership is comprised of hundreds of dedicated Longhorn breeders. The organization sponsors several sales events each year. More information about TLMA is located at www.thelonghornalliance.com.

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     Media Contact:
     Debbie Herrington
     512-331-0547
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     Company Contacts:
     Wes Chancey
     TLMA
     512-556-0300 ext. 12
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     Charles Schreiner IV
     Y.O. Ranch
     830-640-3222
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