New, Old Paths!
On the reintroduction of Draft Performance Tests for Cattle in Germany
by Claus Kropp of Germany
Introduction
Draft performance tests for working cattle have a long tradition. Similar to the performance tests for horses that are still carried out today, the relevant testing system experienced a particular boom between 1918 and 1939. In his dissertation published in 1933, Heinrich Bohley describes the intention of the performance tests for cattle at the time very clearly:
“The evaluation of this performance concept boils down to determining the respective performance of the farm animal in question through precisely planned tests in order to primarily utilize the animals with above-average dispositions as far as possible in terms of breeding and to obtain descendants with better dispositions in terms of performance from them.”
After the end of the Second World War and in the course of the motorization and industrialization of agriculture, the importance of draft cattle and thus also the will to systematically test their working performance rapidly declined and the testing system in Germany died out completely. The three-purpose use (milk, meat, work), which is so central to draft cows, also became less and less important in the breeding system and, in this context, the selection of individual breeds according to character and suitability.
However, according to two surveys conducted in 2011 and 2021 on draft cattle use in Germany, a new upward trend can be observed. Once again, more than 100 working cattle could be identified on a national level. It is absolutely clear that this is still a very low number but it nevertheless seems to justify a renewed focus on a possible testing system. Above all, it seems appropriate to include improvements in the areas of animal welfare and harnessing techniques, but also in relation to the human-animal relationship, in any new development of testing regulations.
Starting in late summer of 2024 and over a period of several months, an international group consisting of cattle experts and specialists under the coordination of the Center for Draft Cattle Research and Education (Lorsch, Germany) took over the development of new test standards. It was important to both the test committee and the active members of the draft cattle community in Germany that the trials should not be a competition, but rather a joint review of quality standards. It should also explicitly not be about demanding maximum performance from the animals (in terms of maximum pulling power), but rather the average pulling power that the animals should be able to deliver over a period of several hours. Finally, it was also clear that these regulations could only pose as the first step on a long road towards returning to well established testing systems. The task force decided, that the examinations are to be conducted by a total of three qualified and designated persons. These judges should make the decisions together and record them on a score sheet. Before the start of the test, the judges would check that the respective test course, the pulling-sled and the weights are correct. Lastly, the judges (including a veterinarian) should carry out a general health and harness check (in the case of the draft performance test) of the animals to be entered for the trial. In the following two chapters, the two possible test variants for this first set of test regulations will be described in more detail:
Draft Suitability Test
Suitability tests are intended for animals up to 2.5 years of age. The animal itself is evaluated first and foremost, but the human-animal relationship cannot be separated from the actual obedience. In this respect, both factors are always included in the overall assessment. There is no evaluation according to points but only according to pass/fail. During the test, the animals must be led without the use of force and only with audiovisual or body signals (e.g. stick tapping on left shoulder blade to initiate a turn).
1) Obedience / human-animal relationship
The human/animal team must perform a total of three left and three right turns in a course marked out by pylons and stop and stand still twice (the first time for 5 seconds, the second time for 30 seconds; each time is ended by signals from the judges). In addition, “parking” in front of a cart between the shafts is tested. The aim is for the animal to stand in front of and between the shafts, and take two steps back. During the course, an obstacle lying on the ground (tree trunk) must also be crossed and a stake with flutter tape attached to it must be passed at a distance of two meters. As an optional part, the test can also be carried out by a second person approved by the test judges.
2) Harness test
The animals are tied to a holding device installed in the test area. The animal should remain still. The handler then takes a collar or yoke from a harness stand and places it on the animal. Here it is important that the animal remains calm and tolerates the application (10 seconds). The animal is then untied and led away from the test area.
Draft Performance Test
1) Obedience / human-animal relationship
The same regulations as for the draft suitability test are applied in this first section.
2) Tractive power
Based on the determined body weight of the animal, a sled is loaded with a total of 15% of the animal’s body weight and attached. The draft animal handler first covers a distance of 50 m with the animal. It does not matter whether the animal is driven from behind, led freely or led by the halter at the front. The total distance must be covered within 90 seconds. After turning the sled, two further pulling performance stages are to be completed. These are:
- 25% of the body weight over a distance of 25m (within 45 seconds)
- 35% of the body weight over a distance of 10m (within 25 seconds)
3) Traction skills
In this test section, the animal must maneuver a long pole through an obstacle course and complete three turns without touching the pylons set up as boundaries along the turn areas. The distance between the pylons is determined by the width of the evener used, to which 30cm is added on both sides. Each fallen pylon is counted as a fault. If four touches are made, the test section is deemed to have been failed. A retry is possible. The course must be completed in both directions, so that in the first half only right-hand turns and in the second half only left-hand turns must be completed. The finish point is also the turning point for the second half and is also marked with a pylon, so that a 180° turn must be made there. Two further faults are permitted when leading the animals from behind.
Premiere of the new draft performance and suitability tests
On November 16, 2024, after more than 75 years, the time had finally come. A total of 15 working cattle plus teamsters from four federal states were participating in the premiere of the new draft cattle trials. They were carried out on the grounds of Center for Draft Cattle Research and Education in Lorsch, Germany. A range of different information and sales stands, including of the WIR in Lorsch project, which markets regional products that have been produced with the help of animal traction, constituted the supporting program. About 200 spectators came to witness this extraordinary opportunity to see some of the best trained working cattle in Germany. It is also important to note that from the 15 participating draft cattle, 6 breeds from the national list of endangered livestock were represented. That marks the high importance of old heritage breeds for the whole question of revitalizing draft cattle use in Germany. Many of these breeds are still representing the old three-purpose animals that were of such high value. Another noteworthy circumstance was the fact that not only oxen but also several cows took part in the trials.
Eventually, all of the six animals participating in the draft suitability test as well as the nine animals participating in the draft performance test successfully passed the different elements of the trials.
