How do you read the cattle before your cutting class runs?

Reading the cattle before your class runs is a competitive preparation activity that provides specific information about which animals are likely to make the best cuts, how the herd is behaving as a group, and which individual cattle have specific behavioral tendencies that should influence your selection strategy during the run. The most efficient way to read the cattle is to watch earlier competitors work them from a good vantage point where you can see both the cutting work and the herd's behavior during and after each run — the individual cattle that produce the best work for earlier competitors are likely candidates for your run, and the cattle that produce losses, quits, or poor work show you specifically what to avoid. Watch specifically for cattle at the edge of the herd that can be cut cleanly without excessive herd disturbance, cattle that are quick and honest in their movement rather than slow and lazy or aggressive and unpredictable, and cattle that appear fresh and willing to move rather than tired from multiple previous workings. Note the herd's general state as the class progresses: a herd that becomes increasingly scattered, nervous, or difficult to settle as more runs occur requires different entry strategy than a fresh, well-settled herd early in the class. The position of the herd holders and how they are managing the cattle provides information about the specific challenges the herd presents — holders who are working hard to keep the cattle bunched indicate a more difficult herd to manage than those whose job appears easy. This pre-class observation is most productive when done with specific mental notes about particular animals or positions rather than general impressions, because the specific information — that steer in the back left corner has been cut twice and may be tired, the group of three heifers on the right edge are the freshest — translates directly into better herd work decisions during the actual run.