show terminology

[venablefarms12]

what exactly does it mean when they talk about balanced from hooks to pins

 

[The Show]

I used a Holstein bc their the best breed to use for an example. The red area is the hooks to pins, the forward black dot is the hooks, and the back one is the pins. You want them to be pretty level, not sloping like they are in this pic. A lot of times if they are unlevel like that they will also roll under when they walk. Looking at a calf from behind you want them to be parallel.

 

[venablefarms12]

ok thanks thats what i thought but was always to embarrassed to ask

 

[knabe]

don't be too embarrassed.  if they are too level, they won't be able to cover their tracks, will have urine pooling and are probably from breeding lines that are prone to spastic pareisis.  i prefer a slight slope.

 

[justintime]

I agree with Mark. Everyone likes a big square hip on a heifer, but make sure the pin bones are situated slightly lower than the hook bones, as this will allow her to calve easier. I think many of the calving issues we hear about, that are blamed on the sire used, could be blamed on the female that calves. I guess we shouldn't even blame the female, as she was designed the way she was by breeders trying to design show ring appeal, as opposed to functional appeal. Take a look at other animals in nature and see how they are designed. Have you ever heard of a deer, antelope, elk, etc, that could not give birth easily? As I mentioned before in another thread, Brahman cows are also designed with more slope between the hooks and pins and they can calve extremely easy, no matter what size the calf is.

As Mark has said, you can also have breeding problems when the hooks and pins are situated too level.