COWS ARE LIKE HOTELS – not every four-star hotel is the same.  The features and amenities can be compared and contrasted using  additional information on hotel websites and guest reviews.
Two cows, much like hotels, can have the same Final Score yet look and function significantly different. Yet the Final Score of an animal is what most people hear about in conversation, Facebook posts and on Twitter feeds – not her rear leg rear view or rump angle score, which may be her weakest attributes.  Conformation Assessment is much more complex than a single number. Individual trait strengths and weaknesses are highlighted in order to identify opportunities for improvement, management and breeding.  Take for example two 83-point  1st lactation heifers that calved at the same age and were assessed at the same stage of lactation:
“MARY” and “SUSAN”. Would a producer manage them the same way, breed them to the same bull and keep them both in the herd?

The two have marked differences in conformation shown on
their score sheets: Mary’s rump is more structurally sound and she
walks on a more functional set of legs. Through breeding, there are
opportunities to improve her mammary system and increase chest
width and body depth. Though Mary will move around the barn
more easily, Susan is likely a higher producing cow and will continue
to be long term if she doesn’t experience reproductive issues. In
addition, Susan’s mobility may be hampered in the long-term by
her feet and legs if not managed appropriately. Depending on the
herd’s existing weaknesses and long-term goals of a producer’s
mating program, one of the animals may be more valuable to the
producer than the other.

It can be easy to “label” cows based on their Final Score alone
– with reference to a certain style of cow desired in the barn or
with special emphasis given to her mammary system as a point of
reference. Mary is more likely to be criticized as an 83 point animal
compared to Susan because her mammary system is her weakest
part even though she stands on a set of 88-point feet and legs and
her traits as a whole merit the 83-point nal score.
The Canadian Conformation Assessment program adjusts
scores based on age at calving, stage of lactation and udder
fullness. Calculations for some traits on a heifer that calves out at 22
months – assessed at two weeks fresh – will vary from that of a midlactation
assessment of a heifer that freshened at 24 months of age.
Because of the diversity in herd breeding philosophies, in reality
there exists an array of different looking cows for each Final Score. It
is a mathematical combination of 24 important and connected parts.
Conformation Assessment has been developed and continually
updated for use as a management tool. The emphasis on
sections and individual traits is related to researched relationships
between profitability and longevity. These weights are updated
frequently to reflect timely and accurate information. The service
is used by some for marketing purposes, though that is not the
primary goal of the program. Instead, accompanied by individual
animal evaluation reports and herd trend reports, Conformation
Assessment is designed to equip producers with the knowledge
and insight to manage each animal and subsequently set goals for
whole herd improvement.

Final Score alone does not indicate the individual strengths or weaknesses of an
animal. A Final Score is a combination of 24 individual parts related to production and longevity. By looking at an assessment score sheet, producers should be able to visualize the animal from this description. Individual corrective adjustments in breeding and management can then be made to increase animal performance in the context of their environment to benefit the whole herd in the long-term.

Source: infoHolstein