Scoring of a most important udder trait; the suspensory ligament
The suspensory ligament is located between the udder halves and is mainly responsible for the support of the udder. The degree of visibility of the udder halves in the lower part of the rear udder is mainly judged in scoring the suspensory ligament (see bottom part of figure 6), since the suspensory ligament there is most functional, giving optimal support to the udder. The more visible the suspensory ligament, the higher the score.
The suspensory ligament supports the overall strength of the udder and thus contributes to a longer herdlife. The stronger the suspensory ligament, the better. This is fully supported by figure 6, which shows maximum differences in herdlife between suspensory ligament scores 1 and 9 of about 30 per cent, indicating the importance of the suspensory ligament in regard to a long, productive life.