It is distributed mostly in the provinces of Álava and Bizkaia, with some localised populations in Gipuzkoa.

The Terreña was formerly found in large numbers, and was the most numerous breed in these areas; in the mid-twentieth century there were over 15,000 head.

[3]: 158  The industrialisation of agriculture and depopulation of rural areas in the latter part of that century led to an acute fall in numbers,[3]: 158  and in 1991 the population was reported to be 208 head.

[3]: 158 The Terreña is among the breeds classified as "at risk of extinction" by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, the Spanish ministry of agriculture.

Terreño oxen were in the past used in the traditional Basque rural sport of idi probak, or stone-pulling.