Cattle Mobility

[Son of Butch]

The Large Frame vs Longevity discussion got me thinking...
Perhaps it's not so much a frame score issue but other than fertility, longevity is more of a Mobility issue.
Frame score is easy to measure. But I don't know of any breed that has any type of a Mobility score.
Everyone talks about selecting cattle that track straight, moving in an easy manner with a strong pastern and foot.
Is it possible to come up with a Mobility Score? or has it been done?

 

[bigbull338]

theres 2 things that affect how long a cow stays in the herd and thats fertility and her health.if she never gets sick or pulled down thats a big help.i try not to keep a cow to the point she can go boom on me and die.i try to cull those cows.

 

[Andyva]

I've seen cows that fall apart at eight years old, I've seen twenty year olds that I would keep another year and hope for a heifer calf. In my observation, there are two things that make them go down. First is their teeth. Second is their joints. If they get a bad hip and can't get over the ground to eat enough grass, they will go downhill quick. If they can't chew, they will go down, too. When you see one that has to throw her head up and down to walk, she will go down in the hips eventually. Usually goes along with a topline that looks like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. Feet play in to this, feet hurt and make them walk funny, throw out their back, and then they hobble around and turn into a skeleton. Teeth you can't really see coming, they just start going down in the winter when they have to chew rough hay. I mean, you can look at their teeth, but there is no way to know how long they will last. Some people have better teeth than others and I'm sure cows are the same. Sandy gravelly ground probably doesn't help, or short pasture. Maybe the ones that get around better, get better grass, and the ones that don't have to pick through the rocks, so it all ties in.