Cutting horse trainers spend more time watching cattle than they do horses. When they confer with turnback help before and after a performance, chances are they are recounting the actions of the cows that they cut rather than the performance of the horse.

Cutters spend their show careers searching for the elusive “money cow,” the wildcard in the deck of cattle that they are dealt.

In an attempt to take some of the guesswork out of cattle selection for pros, non-pros and amateurs, alike, the National Cutting Horse Association recently released How to Choose the Right Cow, a two-DVD set hosted by Chubby Turner and featuring leading trainers Phil Rapp, Matt Gaines, and Boyd Rice, who discuss the merits and demerits of cows as they watch them being settled and worked in Will Rogers Coliseum, home of the $10 million NCHA Triple Crown events.

Topics include identification of individuals within a herd; traits of cattle to avoid, as well as traits of “good” cows; and what to look for as a herd is being settled.

Here are just a few of the tips:

• Choose a fleshy cow over a sleek one, which is likely to be a runner, according to Don Dodge, one of cutting’s earliest stars.
• Never cut a brindle cow in Fort Worth, according to the late, great Bill Freeman.
• Avoid low-headed cows.
• Today’s Herefords typically don’t offer enough of a challenge to earn points, according to Phil Rapp.
• Keep an open mind, if you draw deep in the herd, because cattle often change as the cutting progresses.

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