Step 1: First appearance
As the cattle enter the ring, look out for the one that catches your eye the most. Step 2: Examine each animal
Identify the most even part to the show ring to evaluate each animal individually. Step 3: Movement problems
When cattle walk round the ring, look out for locomotion problems. For example, hind legs that are sickled (curved) or post-legged.Ask the exhibitor to walk the animal to ensure that they are walking straight. As the animal walks on, make sure that its legs are straight and that the hocks are neither in nor out. Step 4: Structural correctness
As the animal comes towards you, check out its front-end first, eg walk the animal straight towards you and check that the front legs stand parallel to each other. Examine the hind legs from behind to make sure that both legs are straight.Make sure that there is no pastern defects, ie sitting back on the pastern. Feet are of a sound structure. Look for animals of good volume/body capacity, frame and growth potential.Step 5: Muscle composition
Come round to the animal’s shoulder and top-line. Look for a nice bit of width between the top of the withers, which should follow through the top-line into the hips.There should be a good depth and width to the loin and eye muscle area (toploin), as this is where the dearest cuts of meat are found. Beef animals should have a good spring of rib and have good depth of girth. These are important indicators of an animal’s ability to gain weight. The underline area (breast area) should be nice and tight – not too heavy or full and not too shallow.Step 6: Rump and hindquarters
Examine the back-end of the animal, looking out for width of hip bones, width of pin bones and width of pelvic area. The animal should have a nice turn of hindquarter muscle. Rump muscle profile should have a nice depth right into the hocks. The tail setting should not be too high, but should complement the muscle profile.Step 7: Conditioning
Conditioning is the degree of fatness.Handle the animal at the loin and tail head to check the level of flushing. Ideally, show cattle should be well-flush and not either storeish or over-pushed in appearance. There is a fine balance here but a three fat score is desirable.Step 8: Balance and quality
Look for the finer points – the X factor.As the beast parades, look for what stands out the most. These are the finer points of breed character, like the style and elegance of the animal, straightness of lines, distribution of body parts and weight.Step 9: Sexual characteristics
Look for feminine appearance and maternal characteristics in heifers and cows; and a rugged, masculine appearance in bulls. Also check out the head, which should be sweet and feminine in a female; and masculine, showing good width between the eyes and muzzle, in a bull. Step 10: Evaluate and compare
Compare animals in a class to one another and thereby measure their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Step 1: First appearance
As the cattle enter the ring, look out for the one that catches your eye the most. Step 2: Examine each animal
Identify the most even part to the show ring to evaluate each animal individually. Step 3: Movement problems
When cattle walk round the ring, look out for locomotion problems. For example, hind legs that are sickled (curved) or post-legged.Ask the exhibitor to walk the animal to ensure that they are walking straight. As the animal walks on, make sure that its legs are straight and that the hocks are neither in nor out. Step 4: Structural correctness
As the animal comes towards you, check out its front-end first, eg walk the animal straight towards you and check that the front legs stand parallel to each other. Examine the hind legs from behind to make sure that both legs are straight.Make sure that there is no pastern defects, ie sitting back on the pastern. Feet are of a sound structure. Look for animals of good volume/body capacity, frame and growth potential.Step 5: Muscle composition
Come round to the animal’s shoulder and top-line. Look for a nice bit of width between the top of the withers, which should follow through the top-line into the hips.There should be a good depth and width to the loin and eye muscle area (toploin), as this is where the dearest cuts of meat are found. Beef animals should have a good spring of rib and have good depth of girth. These are important indicators of an animal’s ability to gain weight. The underline area (breast area) should be nice and tight – not too heavy or full and not too shallow.Step 6: Rump and hindquarters
Examine the back-end of the animal, looking out for width of hip bones, width of pin bones and width of pelvic area. The animal should have a nice turn of hindquarter muscle. Rump muscle profile should have a nice depth right into the hocks. The tail setting should not be too high, but should complement the muscle profile.Step 7: Conditioning
Conditioning is the degree of fatness.Handle the animal at the loin and tail head to check the level of flushing. Ideally, show cattle should be well-flush and not either storeish or over-pushed in appearance. There is a fine balance here but a three fat score is desirable.Step 8: Balance and quality
Look for the finer points – the X factor.As the beast parades, look for what stands out the most. These are the finer points of breed character, like the style and elegance of the animal, straightness of lines, distribution of body parts and weight.Step 9: Sexual characteristics
Look for feminine appearance and maternal characteristics in heifers and cows; and a rugged, masculine appearance in bulls. Also check out the head, which should be sweet and feminine in a female; and masculine, showing good width between the eyes and muzzle, in a bull. Step 10: Evaluate and compare
Compare animals in a class to one another and thereby measure their relative strengths and weaknesses. 
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