Set Out & Exhaust

Handling livestock for a trial, specifically, set-out and exhaust, is probably the most important, under-appreciated, unforgiving jobs one can undertake at a trial. Errors can cost handlers much, therefore the allowable error margin is zero.

Set-Out

Fortunately, there are always plenty of hands willing to work set out... unfortunately, the best candidates are not always the ones chosen for the work at hand. To work set-out properly, it is absolutely imperative that those in charge are able to read cattle, understand draws and feel/work flight zones. Good set-out folks also have to have the innate ability to instantly assess ever shifting situations and adjust accordingly, which includes consistent comprehension of how their actions, or lack of, can and will affect not only the livestock, but the dog on course and, ultimately, the handler.

Exhaust

As with set-out, there are usually a good number of folks willing to be pressed into service, and also like set-out, the best candidates are not always chosen. In fact, because the general perception is "the run is over, it doesn't matter," the incidence of improper exhaust crew choice is even higher. All the qualities mentioned above in relation to set-out remain applicable to exhaust - don't make the mistake of believing that "anyone" can do it. How cattle are handled back into the holding area directly affects how they will rest and how they will respond when handled back out to the working area, and given most trials rerun their cattle at some point, this is far more important than many realize.

To sum it all up, cattle should always be handled calmly and quietly, but with knowledgeable authority.