Bulls walking/tracking ability

[Aussie]

Just watched the Angus bull video and some great looking bulls but IMO some(not the winner) did not track that well. Either stepping very short or swinging their back feet certainly not placing their back feet were their front feet go. I know a bit about show cattle but this was the final drive shouldn't they all walk or is this not as important in US shows.
I am not trying to be smart it struck me as unusual at one of the top shows in the world some bulls don't track.

 

[SFASUshowman]

I watched the video as well and understand what your saying...from my years of experience showing and handling several bulls and judging shows.  I would say it was possible a lot of these bulls probably walked better in their classes.  I really only saw a lot of paddle footing and I didnt think it was necessarily horrible, but I do think most of the group could have walked better during the Champion Drive, but from my experience this tends to happen a lot when these big bulls have been up on their feet all day getting fit for the show, then win their class, and have to stay on their feet even longer to wait for the champion drive. They get wore out and just dont want to walk for you, at least thats what it looked like to me, I dont think I ever saw an angle where I could truly evaluate how well they tracked.
The unfortunate thing with a lot of these open shows is they are just long enough to allow your calf to get really tired from being on their feet, but not long enough to allow time to let them lay down and take a rest and then get em up cleaned up for the drive

 

[chambero]

The older a bull gets, they physically cant reach that far- their legs arent long enough relative to their length of body.  Its not a structure issue.  Bulls are shorter and longer now, not to mention the amount of muscle on an older bull.

 

[Freddy]

Well in watching some of these bulls that don't track an get tired in a show , wonder if they had more feed than they need or in to good of condition .  All I can say is those bulls that are so long they cant reach the track from the front feet , you better stick to raising lbs of beef with them an hope they hold up doing that, cause they sure won't be producing any of these winning show steers ..  There is  a limit to every thing  if there going to function properly ..

 

[SFASUshowman]

Well in terms of functionality, of course they have probably had to much feed.  Dont most show calves get way more feed than the ones we have in the pasture expecting to do a job.  We dont show cattle with their working britches on.  Those older bulls in the shows that are breeding age, they are way to fat to be turned out on cows.  I mean yeah bulls are gonna lose weight when they are out chasing the cows, so you want a little condition  on them when you turn em out, but in my opinion a lot of these bulls we are showing are so fat that I would worry about them having the stamina to get the job done.  And I do think a lot of their issues in the show ring come from excess weight.