How is a cutting run scored?

Cutting is scored on a scale from 60 to 80, with a base score of 70 representing average correct performance from which judges add or subtract points based on the quality and difficulty of the work shown. Each judge scores the run independently using this scale, and the scores of all judges — typically three or five at major events — are averaged to produce the final run score. The scoring system evaluates the entire run as a unified performance rather than assigning separate scores to individual elements, though judges consider the herd work, the horse's athleticism and cow sense during the cow work, the degree of difficulty of the cattle worked, and the overall impression of the run in arriving at their score. Scores above 70 reflect above-average work — a run with credit moves on difficult cattle, clean herd work, and impressive horse athleticism — while scores below 70 reflect work that fell below average in some significant way, whether from errors in the herd work, unimpressive cattle work, or penalized violations. Specific penalties are deducted from the base score for defined rule violations — a cow loss, a quit, an out of bounds, or other specified infractions — and these penalty deductions are applied after the judge's quality score rather than being incorporated into it, which means a run that would have scored 74 on quality but incurred a three-point penalty produces a final score of 71. The highest practical scores at major competitions are typically in the 77 to 80 range, representing exceptional work with significant credit moves on challenging cattle, and scores below 70 are common in classes where the cattle are difficult to control or where errors and penalties have reduced runs that started with potential.