A seven-year-old Texas longhorn from Alabama, USA has earned a place in the record books thanks to his massive horns.
From end to end, Poncho Via’s shelf spans 10 ft 7.4 in (323.74 cm), more than twice the width of a concert grand piano, as confirmed on May 8, 2019.
It means that this superlative steer not only possesses the longest horn span on a living steer , but has also surpassed all previous contenders to claim the record for longest horn span on a steer .
Poncho lives on a ranch in the small town of Goodwater, southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, where he has been raised by the Pope family since he was a baby.
The Popes avidly follow this record category for several years. His “Could we have a record?” The moment arose when Poncho was around four years old, after they noticed that their steer’s horns did not curve upward like most longhorns, but instead grew straight.
The family’s instinct that Poncho could hold a record was confirmed last month, when Guinness World Records approved his shelf measurements. The extent of his horn tip exceeds that of the previous record holder, a longhorn steer named Sato, from Texas, by just over an inch.
Poncho owner Jeral Pope remembers the first time he saw this striking breed: “My wife and I went somewhere out west, riding a hay wagon. At the top of the hill, silhouetted against the sky, were three or four long horns. They stood out like anything on top of that mountain, it was the prettiest thing. I told my wife, we have to have one of them.”
“I was six months old when I got it. I named him Poncho Vía, after the [1960s] film and television character [based on the early 20th-century Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa].”
Not surprisingly, Poncho has become something of a local celebrity in Clay County, as Jeral explained: “All my neighbors around here, whenever they have company, they come to see the longhorn. He’s just a big, gentle character. They all bring [food] with them: he likes apples, carrots, and marshmallows.”
While his horns may seem intimidating, the family insists their steer is a big softie at heart. “He’s just a great pet,” said Jeral’s son Dennis (aka Jeral Pope Junior). “Over the years, he’s had so many people come to see him and give him treats, that he’s become a wonderful big pet.”
Learn more about more record-breaking pen residents in our dedicated Animal Records Showcase.
For Dennis, the record is not just praise for Poncho, but a testament to his father’s vision and community spirit: “[Dad] likes to bring that positive influence to his family and community. Poncho brings an opportunity for a different level of 15 minutes of fame.
“Unfortunately, this is one of the poorest counties in the state of Alabama, [but] it is now [reputed] to hold the world record for longhorn steers.”
George Jones, another family member who works on the ranch and helps care for Poncho, reveals that the longhorn has calmed down with age: “When he was younger… [he only] had little horns, but he would get playful… bucking , puffing and charging… But he has mellowed out as the years have gone by… and he pretty much walks where he wants to go these days instead of running.”
While Poncho never intentionally hurt anyone with his horns, unwieldy appendages have occasionally proven to be a handicap, as Jones knows all too well. “One day, I was fishing and Poncho approached me from behind…”, he begins to tell sadly.
“He took a water bottle out of my pocket with his tongue. It’s there playing with the bottle and I held it out and scratched it a bit…
“That went on for a while and I guess a horsefly jumped on him or something [because] all of a sudden he turned his head and I went flying into the pond! It just completely threw me overboard.”
Guinness World Records’ Claire Stephens, the senior US records manager who handled Poncho’s application, had a keen interest in this particular record given its provenance: It was exciting to see a record holder come from my home state of Alabama!
“Even though we’re used to seeing really amazing things, this really stood out because it’s so impactful and visual.
“It’s always great to be the one to break the good news of a record to someone, and the Pope family has been so helpful and enthusiastic in showing the Poncho Via’a record to the world. It’s clear that Poncho and the Pope family really bring the local community together, and one of the great things about GWR is being able to celebrate things like this with the world.”
more horny beasts
Poncho isn’t the only farm animal to have made his mark on GWR thanks to his phenomenal helmet…
LOCKED : Another steer in the GWR hall of fame is Lurch. This African watusi’s horns may not have spread as far as Poncho’s, but in terms of girth, they represented the largest horn girth ever on a steer . At their thickest point, Lurch’s horns measured 3 ft 1.5 in (95.25 cm) round!
JERICHO : Surpassing even Poncho’s (although admittedly, they’re frizzier), the longest horns on a yak belong to Jericho, owned by Hugh and Melodee Smith of Welch, Minnesota, USA. As of December 23, As of 2018, its horns measured a combined length of 346.4 cm (11 ft 4.3 in).
RASPUTIN : Not wanting American cattle to steal the show , GWR traveled to Zlan, Austria in February 2018. There we met Martin Pirker and his Valais blackneck Rasputin, whose 140cm wingspan (4ft 7 ,1- in) rack has been authenticated as the largest horn extended on a goat .
JACOB SHEEP : When it comes to the number of horns, the sheep surpasses the bovine. Jacob sheep have up to six horns, the most horns on any animal , though even the more usual set of four (example above) is still impressive.
Incredibly, in the late Cretaceous, a relative of Triceratops known as Kosmoceratops richardsoni had as many as 15 horns! These were distributed around its head, including its nose, eyebrows, and neck frill, and easily represent the largest number of horns on an animal .
